We are just a group of retired spooks that discuss things that you’ll not find anywhere else. It makes us unique. Take a look around. Learn a thing or two.
Today is a real treat. I have found some 1980's videos on YouTube that are classics. And I am presenting them here.
The first is the Arnold Schwarzenegger classic "Predator" under some kind of foreign bullshit name.
The second is a "Boy and his dog" which is a classic dystopian flick that I first watched in University.
Take the time to enjoy them both.
have fun.
Life is too short.
Today...
Has there been any occasion where an airline captain conducted himself so poorly the first officer had to take over control of the aircraft?
In 2012, Jet Blue Flight 191 was in flight between New York City and Las Vegas.
The first officer became suspicious of the captains mental state when the captain made statements like: "We need to take a leap of faith", "We're not going to Vegas", and "I can't be held responsible when this plane crashes." He lectured the FO about a range of subjects that were not making sense.
The FO persuaded the captain to leave the cockpit and then hard-locked the door. He then contacted the flight attendants who recruited several able bodied passengers to restrain the captain in the forward galley. The captain’s mental state continued to deteriorate. He screamed about subjects such as 9/11 and terrorists and convinced all involved that he was having a mental breakdown.
An off duty Jet Blue pilot was travelling in the cabin and assisted the FO in diverting the airplane to Amarillo Texas which was only 20 minutes away.
The captain who had suffered the breakdown was arrested for “Interference with a flight crew”. He was subsequently judged “Not guilty by reason of insanity” and released to psychiatric treatment and supervised by a probation officer.
Later, this captain sued Jet Blue on the grounds that the airline should have known he was having mental problems but did not ground him, causing him to lose his career. The captain did not prevail.
The passengers on the flight sued Jet Blue for allowing the captain to operate the flight when they should have known he was not fit to fly. The company settled for an unspecified sum.
I am sure there are many other instances where an FO has taken control, even momentarily. When I was an engineer on the 727, the first officer applied the brakes when the captain almost missed a hold short line while taxiing. It was no big deal and the captain thanked him. If there are more serious cases, the airline and maybe the FAA would handle it without alerting the press. I’ve heard rumor of captains having mental problems but I’ve never seen anything written about it.
As part of my preflight briefing for the copilots, I ask them to be strong and assertive with me if they see that I’m making a mistake. If the mistake will lead to an unsafe situation and I am not responsive, I ask them to take control of the airplane if necessary to correct the problem. There will be plenty of time to talk it over later. The copilots at my airline are all highly qualified to be captains themselves and are only awaiting an opening on the captain’s list. It’s hard to put my ego aside, but the safety of flight is our first priority.
What was a gift that made you speechless?
In 2014, while serving as a contract interpreter for our troops in Afghanistan, I had the pleasure of meeting an emissary of the Saudi Royal family who was doing “ridealongs” to observe our rules of engagement with the Taliban. Everyone called him Sheikh, literally "elder" in Arabic, the honorific title for the ruler of a tribe. He was an oddly prissy man for the job; but, I never saw him cower or jump/hide from close by gunfire or incoming RPG rounds. He was a studious person and read a lot while deployed in the field.
During one of our excursions by helicopter, I was sitting adjacent to Sheikh and observed a beautiful Rolex on his wrist. It looked like a stainless watch with a brown bezel and light blue face. No expert; but, I recognized it as being one of the Rolex Daytona style of watches. Holding his wrist and admiring the watch, I made muted (over the sounds of the helicopter) signs of thumbs up and smiled. I thought no more about it.
About a week later, I was coming in from a field operation and was told I had a package awaiting me inside the Green Zone at the front desk of the American Embassy. I made my way through the security checkpoints and to the person I had been directed only to be handed a box about half the size of a mailbox. I opened the box to reveal the beautiful Rolex Sheikh had been wearing. I was like whoa! and immediately slipped it on to my wrist. It felt heavy and looked gorgeous.
The watch was not in fact stainless. It was the Rolex Cosmograph 116506, their 50th Anniversary Platinum with ice blue dial and brown ceramic bezel.
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Sheikh had returned to Saudi Arabia and left this watch as a gift. Apparently in his culture if someone admires something you have, you gift them with it. Speechless hardly describes my reaction. There was no return address, I didn’t know Sheikh’s real official name to try to track him down and in the hush, hush, Afghan theater OpSec had no leads or further info. I was shocked to learn the value of this beautiful timepiece.
This is something I would never wear and would be an absolute waste on my arm when a $50 Seiko could replace it for functionality. It was an incredibly generous gift; but, in no way deserved by me. An NGO I had worked with in Kabul, cared for orphaned children. I put the watch on an auction site with the proceeds going to support that worthwhile organization. Hopefully maybe one day Sheikh will return and see his gift’s ROI.
On A Trip To Italy My GF Wanted To Stay Behind And "Find Herself", Has MELTDOWN When I Leave Her
"Imagine what will happen to the Anglo-Saxon hegemony if all this vast space from Lisbon to Beijing is connected by a new Silk Road.
Imagine what will happen to the European Union, whose citizens will see that it is possible to develop and live in prosperity without trading their sovereignty, without betraying national interests, and without killing people.
No matter how much the Americans demand from their vassals, they take turns going to China to see Xi Jinping.
What does that say?
It shows that no matter how foolishly they act, they are still looking forward.
They understand that China is unstoppable, and much will depend on China in the future."
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Excerpt from the address by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko at the 7th Belarusian People's Congress in Minsk, April 24, 2024.
What are the facts about girls that guys don't know?
We knew which man is staring us with good or bad intentions
We are not dramatic on periods, periods cramps almost kills us
We like genuine compliments like “sundr lgri ho" pyari lgri ho"
We stalk the profile of the stranger before replying him
Not every girl wants expensive gifts some wants books, jhumkas and a chai date
When we are sharing our problems just patiently listen to it, we don't want solution, we want someone who can listen us
Every second girl has faced sexual harrasment in their life
We don't wear make up to impress other guys, we do make to look in our eyes, to feel confident
We don't want your attention, we want your love, respect and care
If you going to rant out in your dms, we never going to judge you
Oily hairs are the reason of cancellation of plans for us
Pimples are our biggest nightmares
We have great stalking skills
We are very body conscious, if we ever ask you" am I looking fat?” Just answer it positively, don't reply no, you are looking beautiful
We can look very intelligent at one point and after sometime we can like dumb who don't know anything
We observe everything literally everything
Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
Biscuits and Sausage Gravy is popular all over America. It's a staple dish on diner menus.
Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly.
Add buttermilk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead lightly 4 or 5 times.
Roll dough to 3/4 inch thickness; cut with a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet.
Bake at 425 degrees F for 12 minutes or until golden.
Brush tops with butter.
Split biscuits open; serve with Sausage Gravy.
Sausage Gravy
Brown sausage in a skillet, stirring until it crumbles.
Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet. Set sausage aside.
Add butter to drippings; heat over low heat until butter melts.
Add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Gradually add milk; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly.
Stir in seasonings and sausage. Cook until thoroughly heated, stirring constantly.
Notes
This recipe is easily doubled.
What is the most surprisingly cool thing your parents did?
My dad could never have been described as cool. He was firm, autocratic, proper, emotionally disabled, distant, non-communicative, uninvolved and mostly grumpy.
When my parents split up and mom moved out, my brother and I were a bit at sea. We’d been close to our mum, but we were now stuck in the house with a dad we barely knew.
My brother, being older, started acting out a bit, and this never ended well for him. One afternoon, as tensions between my dad and him began bubbling up, I steeled myself for the usual and inevitable torrent of verbal abuse my brother was about to receive. Instead, my dad did something completely out of character.
He told us to grab a few glasses each from the kitchen, and he took us into the courtyard out back.
Dad pointed to a concrete tub-shaped structure in the corner.
‘Throw the glasses in there! As hard as you can!’
Whaa..?
‘Go on! It’s okay. Throw them, and make it count.’
My brother and I looked at each other, bemused. He was asking us to purposely break drinking glasses? Had he finally lost his marbles?
My brother went first.
He threw his arm back as far as he could and unleashed glass number one against the brick wall. It shattered into pieces into the tub!
I threw my first glass ‘like a girl’, hesitantly and with no chutzpah! It didn’t even break, so I retrieved it.
Meanwhile, my brother had turned into a full-on Yankees pitcher, and he hurled glass number two. SMASH!
One by one, we took our frustrations out on those poor glasses. Shards everywhere. We were giggling like hooligans.
I believe even my dad was smiling.
When we went back into the house, the atmosphere had dramatically changed. My brother seemed calmer. My dad seemed calmer. I was young, only 10, but I understood my dad’s motivation behind the exercise.
He lacked the emotional skills to support my brother and me with words, so he found a more practical way to let us express our frustration.
In his own inept way, he did a cool thing.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Jungle Films | Forest Reptile - Preditor
Full movie!
Great blazy glory!
I have seen this movie 200 times so far. This movie is never boring. This is Arnold Schwarzenegger's best movie.
https://youtu.be/FN7tIZWixLs
What is the best comeback you used on someone?
I’ve never been known to be one of those types who are always wanting to fight someone or use violence in any way. In my whole life, I’ve only been in 1 physical altercation since I was a kid. I always relied on wits and common sense, and I had no problem simply walking away from a confrontation for the most part, especially, if it was a trivial disagreement.
There is a great story about the one fight I was in as an adult. However, paraphrasing Douglas Adams, this is not that story.
This is the story about a good comeback.
It was over 20 years ago, I was in my early 20’s. The restaurant I worked at had a bartender who was somewhat a bully to most of the staff because his regulars were always around the bar and he would get a laugh out of them by making rude remarks to the rest of the staff. Waiters and Waitresses, kitchen staff, hostesses, etc.
I was waiting tables, working the outdoor patio section where drinks are commonly ordered. I submitted the tables drinks and went to the bar when I thought they’d be ready. He hadn’t even pulled the ticket from the order yet and it was past the time for the drinks to be ready. I got his attention as he was flirting with a regular and asked for the drinks. He went back to his nature of being a total ass hat and said something like I could fight him for it, if I found it that important.
I said “Ya know everyone is really getting sick of you treating us all like this, and if this can fixed by you and I stepping outside, I’m totally game”.
His regulars looked at him to see how’d he react.
He said “If we gonna fight, let me call my family”
My response, very calmly
”You ain’t got to do that, the hospital will call them for you”.
His regulars all laughed and he got angry at me, I just kept staring.
We both kinda got into “restaurant trouble” for our remarks, but nothing ever happened.
I never gotten anymore bad attitude from him though. Either by our warning, my willingness to step out with him, or my remark. We were civil after that, but never friendly.
What's the most important lesson you've learned in life so far? 😁
I learned two lessons that year. One was don’t do something truly stupid. The second was you reap what you sow.
I was a junior in college. I’d dropped out for a year so all my friends were graduating while I had another year left to fulfill my requirements. There were four us girls and someone suggested driving to Florida for spring break. All the college students who could were headed for Fort Lauderdale. My college was in northern Indiana so it was a bit of a hike driving there.
Now, my parents supplemented our education very heavily. For 5 years, two of us were in college at the same time so those were expensive years for them. Going to Florida would cost us $100/each. That was a significant amount of money back then. I was not about to ask Dad for the money. I worked very part time but I didn’t have $100 to spend.
“I’ll loan you the money,” Sandy said. We had a great time but, by definition, loans must be repaid and I did. It took me 6 weeks but I repaid the money.
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Now, for stupid. It was someone’s less than stellar idea to drive straight through. At that time, straight through was a 24 hour trip. We were supposed to drive in shifts but, by ten o’clock, two of them baled and two of us were stuck driving. I can clearly remember the road ahead becoming increasingly blurry and my eyes blinking for longer periods of time. We took 30-minute shifts but it’s a miracle we didn’t crash.
Now, for the bright side. Sandy graduated in May and her graduation gift was a new car. Yes, her parents had that kind of money. Would I like to buy her old car. The car you see above is the car in question. I had another year in school. I couldn’t possibly afford a car.
But her father remembered the $100 I had borrowed and repaid. He said I was good for the loan. In fact, I didn’t have to make payments until I graduated and obtained employment. His terms were beyond generous and I paid the loan in full.
So, within the span of two months, I learned two lessons. I wish I could report never making another stupid mistake but we humans are prone to them and I’m no exception. But I also learned that you reap what you sow for better or worse.
What is the craziest thing you’ve found in an old coat pocket?
Many years ago, late on a cold and snowy January night, my husband and I were out at a nice Italian restaurant in Greenwich Village and were last to leave, around midnight. At the time my husband was wearing a beautiful full length navy cashmere Ted Lapidus coat that had been his father’s — a VERY expensive coat. When he went to retrieve his coat from the rack, there was one navy coat hanging, but it was not his. My husband was furious that someone had taken his good coat. But I reached into the pockets and pulled out a set of Porsche keys! I assured him that he would be getting his coat back shortly and indeed, first thing in the morning, the restaurant called to arrange an exchange. Personally I would have preferred to have the Porsche.
Exposing The True Nature Of The Sprinkle Sprinkle Effect On The Relationship Market
Her real name is Leticia Padua. One of the hardest lesson I had to learn is that "Women don't Love You, She Loves what you can do for Her".
*groan*
https://youtu.be/rOBoNRxjrpE
Have you ever caught on to someone trying to scam you before it was too late?
I worked at Borders Bookstore (now defunct). Ten minutes before closing time, a gentleman comes to the Café, and asks if we could do him the “favor” of putting his bag of groceries into our refrigerator. He mentioned that he had milk in the bag, and didn’t want it to spoil while he browsed for books. Sounds simple enough, right? Again: AFRAID OF MILK SPOILING. IN THE TEN MINUTES BEFORE CLOSING. I said NO.
Not because my “scam meter” was buzzing (yet), but just because I remembered that it’s not only against the rules… it’s also a Health Code violation to have personal or “outside the system” food stored with our legitimate items for sale to the public. I had recently taken a Food Safety Course (required for managers who may work the cafe, but not required for the rank & file baristas), so those rules were fresh in my mind.
So what does Mr Milk-Panic do? He goes to someone else in the cafe to ask the same “favor.” I saw that, left the counter to repeat my “no” to both the customer and the barista before an employee said something they would regret.
What next? He walks to the other end of the store, finding a random book-seller to ask the same thing. Fortunately, we had started using radio headsets, so I got the request in my headset. Okay, so NOW my “scam sensor” is fully engaged. Dude hasn’t even started browsing for books yet, and in the 5 minutes left before we lock the doors, he is ANGRY that his fresh milk may spoil (but not concerned enough to just go straight home - hmmmm….). So now I made it clear on the radio (all the employees could hear, but not the customers) that the cafe fridge is NOT to be used for any customers’ personal food, or someone could get fired…PERIOD! Suddenly the “nice” manager was being the mean one, and the customer finally left, yelling some obscenities which didn’t seem to match the “nice man asking for a small favor” persona.
The next day’s staff meeting, the general manager had printed out an emailed scam warning: someone was going around, store to store, asking to refrigerate his bag of groceries. Then… he doesn’t come back for them. Not until a week or more has passed, when it would certainly have been thrown away. Upon hearing that his precious “milk” had been tossed out, the customer would then claim we had thrown out hundreds of dollars’ worth of groceries. He would demand CASH for it… or threaten to report us to the Health Department for allowing outside food into our fridges.
Pay attention to that small, nagging feeling!
What is the biggest turn-off you've ever had on a date?
Met a guy on OKCupid who seemed cool. He had a professional head shot as his profile picture and was pretty well spoken, so I met him for dinner.
Everything was okay, though I didn't really see it progressing to date #2, when he commented on my shoes.
“I wouldn't really go with those shoes next time you wear that dress,” he said.
I thought he was joking and laughed, not at all offended because I'm the first to admit that I know nothing about fashion. Nope.
He continued: “No, seriously. I'm the type of man who needs to know that his woman will not only always look good, but will take my advice when it comes to what she looks good in.”
Crickets. Then he added, “I'd be glad to take you shopping if you don't know what you're doing. You're pretty enough, just need some help with outfits.”
Um, thanks? I did my best to finish the date graciously and deleted his number literally as I walked to my car in the restaurant parking lot.
Funny, bizarre, and definitely a turnoff.
20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH 🎬 Exclusive Full Sci-Fi Movie Premiere 🎬 English HD 2022
Movie time!
The first U.S. spaceship to Venus crash-lands off the coast of Sicily on its return trip. A dangerous, lizard-like creature comes with it and quickly grows gigantic.
Ray Harrihausen's creations were so way ahead of their time. I understand he worked virtually alone and spent huge amounts of time bringing his horrors onto the screen, a true genius.
https://youtu.be/3kfsG9E4EHw
What did the job interviewer say that made you NOT accept the job offer?
“What business is McDonald’s in?”
The three 20-something young men sat across a table from me. I’d just returned to the States from a couple of years living abroad, and it was time to find a job. Back then (18 years ago), the newspaper classifieds were still a pretty good resource for job hunters. The description had been a bit vague (classifieds were usually short), but the promised wage was decent, so I sent in a résumé, and got an interview.
When I arrived, I waited in a stairwell outside a sparsely furnished office with another guy about my age (20-something), until my interview slot (the last one) came. When I entered, after the usual greetings, that was the first, and only, question asked.
The trouble is, I recognized the question, and its source. Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad books were growing in popularity, and a friend had shown me a passage in which Ray Kroc, owner of the McDonald’s chain, asks a class of Harvard MBA students that very question, receiving predicable answers such as “restaurants,” and “hospitality,” only to reveal that he considers himself to be in the real estate business.
I’ve always considered Kiyosaki’s approach to personal wealth to be irresponsible and well beyond my risk-tolerance level. He was very trendy at the time, and the fact that this question constituted the whole of my interview was a huge red flag for me. In my mind, it communicated:
That this company was following financial trends rather than principles,
and
that the company would probably be long on charisma and short on discipline
Combine that with the lack of concrete detail about the job, and I was more than a bit wary.
I answered the question properly, finished with pleasantries and small talk, and drove away. I received a call-back before I’d gone a single mile; I’d gotten the job. They explained that it was a sales position (something I wouldn’t have bothered interviewing for if I’d known), and started talking about a starting date.
“Actually, I’m not really interested,” I said.
There was silence on the other end of the phone. Finally, he just said, “Okay, thanks!”
That was it. I still feel like I dodged a bullet with that one.
"The world has already changed—and not in the way that people overseas wanted.
But what do they want? What is their endgame?
The United States, having launched a sweeping attack on all undesirable countries simultaneously (you know this axis of 'evil': from Belarus to North Korea, including Russia, China, Iran, and others), realized that they made a mistake.
They brought together the disobedient Russia and their archnemesis, China.
By exerting pressure, they pushed these two states together: Russia, with extensive resources and a powerful defense industry, and China, with enormous economic and human potential.
They realized that they could not handle this union.
But the United States found a way out: they instigated a conflict in Europe, in Ukraine, and put it on the shoulders of the European Union and NATO, promising to help with money.
The goal is to distract, get Russia bogged down in the war with Ukraine, weaken it with the war and sanctions—as Russia will be too busy to build an alliance with China.
Meanwhile, they wanted to deal with China and drag others whenever possible into this showdown: AUKUS [Defense alliance of Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States], which is a new NATO in the Pacific, and then Japan and South Korea.
This is the essence of the U.S. strategy to assert its dominance in the world.
After that, everything will be over: they will throw everyone under the bus, like they did in Afghanistan."
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Excerpt from the address by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko at the 7th Belarusian People's Congress in Minsk, April 24, 2024.
Temu and Shein are next in line on the chopping board.
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China's Temu Takes Over 17% Of US Market Share, Cutting Jobs From American Amazon And Decimating Small Businesses
China's Temu Takes Over 17% Of US Market Share, Cutting Jobs From American Amazon And Decimating Small Businesses
Caleb Naysmith
Thu, Apr 25, 2024, 4:49 AM GMT+8
China's Temu Takes Over 17% Of US Market Share, Cutting Jobs From American Amazon And Decimating Small Businesses
With rising inflation, American consumers are increasingly turning to the Chinese e-commerce platform Temu for their shopping needs. With its enticing tagline “Shop like a billionaire,” Temu has captured 17% of the U.S. market share, posing a challenge to traditional American retailers such as Amazon.com. Spend less. Smile more.
Inc., Dollar Tree Inc. and Five Below Inc. The rise highlights the lucrative and disruptive nature of startups.Owned and operated by PDD Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:PDD), Temu offers a wide range of products, including home decor, pet supplies, beauty and health products and clothing. The platform is known for its competitive pricing, often offering significant discounts on items compared to prices on Amazon. Coupled with Temu’s discount codes, consumers can enjoy even greater savings.
Temu has even become the No. 1 Shopping App on Apple’s App Store, surpassing Amazon, Target Corp. and Walmart Inc., which currently hold the third, fourth and eighth spots, respectively. The No. 2 shopping app is Shein, another Chinese retailer.
Orders purchased on Temu are shipped from China and are estimated to be delivered within 10 days. However, in a bid to compete with Amazon’s fast delivery, Temu opened its marketplace to U.S. warehouses last month. Shopping from these sellers can significantly reduce shipping time, giving U.S. retailers the ability to handle fulfillment and shipping directly.
In December, Reuters reported that Temu was successfully challenging U.S. dollar stores like Dollar Tree and Dollar General Corp., accounting for nearly 17% of the market share in the United States. According to data analytics firm Earnest Analytics, this compares to 8% for Five Below, 43% for Dollar General and 28% for Dollar Tree.
In January, Amazon announced it would lay off 5% of its Buy with Prime workforce, which equips retailers with fulfillment and delivery services.
"Following a recent review, we’ve made the difficult decision to eliminate a small number of roles on our Buy with Prime team. Buy with Prime is a top priority for Amazon, with strong adoption from merchants and positive feedback from customers, and we will continue investing significant resources in Buy with Prime to build on that momentum,” an Amazon statement said.
The ripple effects extend to discount stores like Dollar Tree and 99 Cents Only Stores, both of which have announced significant closures and employee layoffs.
Citing changing consumer demand and economic challenges, 99 Cents Only Stores is shutting all 371 locations in Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas. Dollar Tree plans to close 1,000 locations across its Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores.
The new American dream is to leave
"I live in New York and he is 200% correct. The majority of us are living paycheck to paycheck. I am also moving out of the country soon. America is on a fast decline. Our government does not work for us."
"I realize that this government in Washington—speaking as it does for the American people—has effectively said that it rejects any relationship with Moscow on the basis of conditions that we do not set.
In other words, unless the Russians all agree to adopt whatever we tell them is appropriate for their society and government, unless they remove the people that currently govern them, unless they put their arms down, join hands, and sing 'Kumbaya' with us, we can't get along with the Russians.
Well, sending this kind of money towards Ukraine at this stage signals to the Russians that any hope of a relationship with Washington is dead.
That's why Foreign Minister Lavrov, within the last 48 hours, was interviewed and asked what would happen if there were negotiations, and whether Moscow was still receptive to negotiations.
He said, 'Yes, we will be receptive to negotiations but keep in mind two things:
First of all—just because we negotiate, we will not stop fighting. We will continue until we have achieved all of our objectives militarily.
Secondly—and very importantly—we are not going to cease hostilities for even a brief period of time because we know that we are going to hold what we've won.
Effectively, the facts on the ground have changed and we are no longer willing to talk about trades in what kind of territory we're willing to surrender to you in order to have peace.'
It's over, and we've made fools out of ourselves and, worst of all, we've made fools out of NATO.
NATO looks weak and stupid.
The Ukrainian state is ruined.
Whatever emerges after this will be a rump state and that rump state will effectively be a demilitarized zone—a DMZ—and in it will live Ukrainians that can tend to their fields and go about their lives, but there will be no military power that threatens Russia."
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Excerpt from remarks by retired U.S. Army colonel Douglas Macgregor in an interview with Judge Napolitano, April 23, 2024.
When did the negative perception of masculinity begin?
This is a byproduct of the American “Woman's Rights” movement.
The initial intention was for gender equality, where women would be treated as equals with men. Eventually, a more radical sub-branch of the movement took control and steered the movement towards an anti-male bias. Over the years, they acquired wealthy and powerful contributors, and used their positions in government to fund and control the narrative. Resulting in the destruction of the American male.
This women's rights movement in the United States has gone through several stages.
Each stage has been marked by specific goals, accomplishments, and challenges.
First Wave (19th Century - Early 20th Century)
- Focused on legal issues, particularly women's suffrage (the right to vote).
- Key events: The Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott; the adoption of the 19th Amendment in 1920, granting women the right to vote.
This initial stage is often erroneously considered to be reasonable, but a look at the amendments to the constitution clearly show that the movement removed the stable “Head of the Household” voting role towards one where anyone can vote. Thus, this movement, during the FIRST WAVE, significantly altered the federal government and the spending trajectory of the United States.
Demographics changed substantially. Voting profiles changed radically, and a “nanny state”
became the norm, as the female voters started to demand a government that took on a parental role; thus a government with a greater role in the lives of Americans.
Second Wave (1960s - 1980s)
- Emphasized a broader range of issues, including equality in the workplace, education, reproductive rights, and legal rights.
- Key events: Publication of "The Feminine Mystique" by Betty Friedan in 1963; the establishment of the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1966; the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
- Advocacy for reproductive rights, including the landmark Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade in 1973.
During this wave, the “rights” of women altered the workplace, the Geo-political scene, the educational system, and the kinds of movies and shows on televisions and extracted out of Hollywood. It was during this wave that the notion of a traditional family was discarded, and men started to be depicted as buffoons and useless clowns.
There is a direct correlation between divorce rates and the implementation of pro-feminist initiatives. This was the era of the destruction of the family. As the women entered the work-place, forced layoffs, firings and short-duration employment became the norm.
Third Wave (1990s - Early 2000s)
- Focused on diversity and intersectionality, addressing issues of race, class, sexual orientation, and gender identity within the context of women's rights.
- Emphasized individualism and a more inclusive approach to feminism, acknowledging different experiences and perspectives.
This wave turbocharged the fall of traditional values, and the “career women” entered the work force with government sanctioned privileges that harmed the male roles. The court systems, and child service systems became co-opted by this movement and became hostile to males.
Laws and rules, from family law to corporate law favored females. Lower skilled females were engaged in once-dominant male activities to meet hiring quotas. The result was a gradual decline in the quality of the American work-force.
Fourth Wave (Mid-2000s - Present)
- Characterized by the use of digital and social media to advocate for women's rights and mobilize anti-male activism.
- Focus on sexual harassment, gender-based violence, and the #MeToo movement.
- Greater attention to intersectionality, considering how various aspects of identity intersect and impact the experiences of women and non-binary individuals.
It’s a real problem.
The damage has already been done.
Presently, in the United States and it’s proxy nations, under the LGBQ+ rainbow flag, the male gender is ridiculed, minimized, and berated to a point where various social phenomenons have occurred. To include…
Young men in the 20s have stopped dating.
Young men tend to be virginal, while young women engage in serial promiscuity.
The “Soft man” era where men have “checked out”.
A drop in college and university admissions for men.
A push back on dating with the “drizzle drizzle” movement.
American men are leaving the United States as “passport bros” and not returning.
The changing demographics and the ten year forecast for citizens within this toxic anti-male environment is contentious. Historically, very BAD things happen when large sections males in a nation are hurt, abandoned, ridiculed and disparaged.
It will be very bad.
Apple-Cinnamon Pile o' Pancakes
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Yield: 5 servings (2 pancakes and 2 tablespoons syrup each)
Ingredients
1 cup Apple Cinnamon Cheerios cereal
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
2/3 cup chunky applesauce
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
Maple syrup or maple-flavored syrup*
Instructions
Heat griddle or 12 inch skillet over medium-low heat or to 325 degrees F.
Pour cereal into plastic bag and seal. Crush cereal with rolling pin or can of soup. Pour crushed cereal into large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients, except syrup, just until moistened.
Pour batter, a generous 1/4 cup at a time, onto hot griddle. Cook for 2 minutes or until edges look cooked and bubbles begin to break on the surface. Flip pancakes and cook other side until golden, about 2 minutes longer.
Serve with syrup.
Notes
* Tasty topping: Skip the syrup and top instead with warm apple pie filling or a sprinkle of brown sugar.
What is the worst part about being a man?
No one cares.
It’s time I told you about my Uncle RK.
My late uncle.
A victim of sexism and neglect his entire life.
When he was just a boy, he was expected and pressured to get good grades in school - which he did. On the contrary, they let my mom slack off and had no expectations for her.
Eventually, he ended up placing within the top 200 in a nationally ranked exam and going to one of the most prestigious colleges in the country for peanuts - thanks to a large scholarship.
During his college days, when he visited home, no one bothered to greet him. His own mom forgot he was coming once and ended up giving his room to some relatives for a short stay.
In his early twenties, he was falsely accused of sexual harassment. After spending a few months in jail, my grandmom made a hefty payment to the accuser’s family, who agreed to drop the charges.
He struggled to find employment after college thanks to his criminal record.
After being forced into an arranged marriage, he was stuck with an emotionally abusive wife.
After losing another job at age 30, he got depressed. The humiliation he received from society and from his wife for being unemployed was unbearable.
In July 2000, he killed himself, by jumping off an apartment. Everyone chalked it up to his mental instability. To this day, I still hear them saying that he was a weak and pathetic man who couldn’t handle life.
I think you got it by now.
This is the worst part of being a man: No one cares.
No one cares if you feel lonely, if you feel neglected, if you are falsely accused by a woman, if you have an abusive wife, if you lose your job and feel worthless or if you kill yourself.
My uncle RK is a lot like me. He’s introverted, sweet and sensitive person. He’d never harm a fly. He used to take great care of his little sister (my mom) and show affection to his older brother.
He’s also a genius. He managed to build a working generator when he was just a boy (remember this was before the internet). He was always the smartest guy around.
He was cool too. When he toured Japan in the nineties, he brought back some novel electronic gadgets, among them was a digital dictionary.
I wish I had met him.
I wish he was alive. We could have talked about so much. He could have been a mentor to me.
Rest in peace. Uncle RK - 1969–2000.
A Boy and His Dog | Post-Apocalypse | Don Johnson | Classic Drama Film
I cannot believe that this entire film is free on youtube. It is a great watch. Take the time to enjoy this fun, and very funny, Classic Drama Movie: A Boy and His Dog - A young man and his telepathic dog wander through a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Oh, and it takes place in 2024!
LOL.
https://youtu.be/kBfWS0BniJE
Today is a real treat. I have found some 1980's videos on YouTube that are classics. And I am presenting them here.
The first is the Arnold Schwarzenegger classic "Predator" under some kind of foreign bullshit name.
The second is a "Boy and his dog" which is a classic dystopian flick that I first watched in University.
Take the time to enjoy them both.
have fun.
Life is too short.
Today...
Has there been any occasion where an airline captain conducted himself so poorly the first officer had to take over control of the aircraft?
In 2012, Jet Blue Flight 191 was in flight between New York City and Las Vegas.
The first officer became suspicious of the captains mental state when the captain made statements like: "We need to take a leap of faith", "We're not going to Vegas", and "I can't be held responsible when this plane crashes." He lectured the FO about a range of subjects that were not making sense.
The FO persuaded the captain to leave the cockpit and then hard-locked the door. He then contacted the flight attendants who recruited several able bodied passengers to restrain the captain in the forward galley. The captain’s mental state continued to deteriorate. He screamed about subjects such as 9/11 and terrorists and convinced all involved that he was having a mental breakdown.
An off duty Jet Blue pilot was travelling in the cabin and assisted the FO in diverting the airplane to Amarillo Texas which was only 20 minutes away.
The captain who had suffered the breakdown was arrested for “Interference with a flight crew”. He was subsequently judged “Not guilty by reason of insanity” and released to psychiatric treatment and supervised by a probation officer.
Later, this captain sued Jet Blue on the grounds that the airline should have known he was having mental problems but did not ground him, causing him to lose his career. The captain did not prevail.
The passengers on the flight sued Jet Blue for allowing the captain to operate the flight when they should have known he was not fit to fly. The company settled for an unspecified sum.
I am sure there are many other instances where an FO has taken control, even momentarily. When I was an engineer on the 727, the first officer applied the brakes when the captain almost missed a hold short line while taxiing. It was no big deal and the captain thanked him. If there are more serious cases, the airline and maybe the FAA would handle it without alerting the press. I’ve heard rumor of captains having mental problems but I’ve never seen anything written about it.
As part of my preflight briefing for the copilots, I ask them to be strong and assertive with me if they see that I’m making a mistake. If the mistake will lead to an unsafe situation and I am not responsive, I ask them to take control of the airplane if necessary to correct the problem. There will be plenty of time to talk it over later. The copilots at my airline are all highly qualified to be captains themselves and are only awaiting an opening on the captain’s list. It’s hard to put my ego aside, but the safety of flight is our first priority.
What was a gift that made you speechless?
In 2014, while serving as a contract interpreter for our troops in Afghanistan, I had the pleasure of meeting an emissary of the Saudi Royal family who was doing “ridealongs” to observe our rules of engagement with the Taliban. Everyone called him Sheikh, literally "elder" in Arabic, the honorific title for the ruler of a tribe. He was an oddly prissy man for the job; but, I never saw him cower or jump/hide from close by gunfire or incoming RPG rounds. He was a studious person and read a lot while deployed in the field.
During one of our excursions by helicopter, I was sitting adjacent to Sheikh and observed a beautiful Rolex on his wrist. It looked like a stainless watch with a brown bezel and light blue face. No expert; but, I recognized it as being one of the Rolex Daytona style of watches. Holding his wrist and admiring the watch, I made muted (over the sounds of the helicopter) signs of thumbs up and smiled. I thought no more about it.
About a week later, I was coming in from a field operation and was told I had a package awaiting me inside the Green Zone at the front desk of the American Embassy. I made my way through the security checkpoints and to the person I had been directed only to be handed a box about half the size of a mailbox. I opened the box to reveal the beautiful Rolex Sheikh had been wearing. I was like whoa! and immediately slipped it on to my wrist. It felt heavy and looked gorgeous.
The watch was not in fact stainless. It was the Rolex Cosmograph 116506, their 50th Anniversary Platinum with ice blue dial and brown ceramic bezel.
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Sheikh had returned to Saudi Arabia and left this watch as a gift. Apparently in his culture if someone admires something you have, you gift them with it. Speechless hardly describes my reaction. There was no return address, I didn’t know Sheikh’s real official name to try to track him down and in the hush, hush, Afghan theater OpSec had no leads or further info. I was shocked to learn the value of this beautiful timepiece.
This is something I would never wear and would be an absolute waste on my arm when a $50 Seiko could replace it for functionality. It was an incredibly generous gift; but, in no way deserved by me. An NGO I had worked with in Kabul, cared for orphaned children. I put the watch on an auction site with the proceeds going to support that worthwhile organization. Hopefully maybe one day Sheikh will return and see his gift’s ROI.
On A Trip To Italy My GF Wanted To Stay Behind And "Find Herself", Has MELTDOWN When I Leave Her
"Imagine what will happen to the Anglo-Saxon hegemony if all this vast space from Lisbon to Beijing is connected by a new Silk Road.
Imagine what will happen to the European Union, whose citizens will see that it is possible to develop and live in prosperity without trading their sovereignty, without betraying national interests, and without killing people.
No matter how much the Americans demand from their vassals, they take turns going to China to see Xi Jinping.
What does that say?
It shows that no matter how foolishly they act, they are still looking forward.
They understand that China is unstoppable, and much will depend on China in the future."
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Excerpt from the address by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko at the 7th Belarusian People's Congress in Minsk, April 24, 2024.
What are the facts about girls that guys don't know?
We knew which man is staring us with good or bad intentions
We are not dramatic on periods, periods cramps almost kills us
We like genuine compliments like “sundr lgri ho" pyari lgri ho"
We stalk the profile of the stranger before replying him
Not every girl wants expensive gifts some wants books, jhumkas and a chai date
When we are sharing our problems just patiently listen to it, we don't want solution, we want someone who can listen us
Every second girl has faced sexual harrasment in their life
We don't wear make up to impress other guys, we do make to look in our eyes, to feel confident
We don't want your attention, we want your love, respect and care
If you going to rant out in your dms, we never going to judge you
Oily hairs are the reason of cancellation of plans for us
Pimples are our biggest nightmares
We have great stalking skills
We are very body conscious, if we ever ask you" am I looking fat?” Just answer it positively, don't reply no, you are looking beautiful
We can look very intelligent at one point and after sometime we can like dumb who don't know anything
We observe everything literally everything
Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
Biscuits and Sausage Gravy is popular all over America. It's a staple dish on diner menus.
biscuits sausage gravy
Yield: 6 servings, 2 biscuits each
Ingredients
Biscuits
3 cups self-rising soft wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
Butter, melted
Sausage Gravy
1 pound breakfast sausage (mild or hot)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/4 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt or seasoned salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1/8 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
Bisicuits
Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly.
Add buttermilk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead lightly 4 or 5 times.
Roll dough to 3/4 inch thickness; cut with a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet.
Bake at 425 degrees F for 12 minutes or until golden.
Brush tops with butter.
Split biscuits open; serve with Sausage Gravy.
Sausage Gravy
Brown sausage in a skillet, stirring until it crumbles.
Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet. Set sausage aside.
Add butter to drippings; heat over low heat until butter melts.
Add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Gradually add milk; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly.
Stir in seasonings and sausage. Cook until thoroughly heated, stirring constantly.
Notes
This recipe is easily doubled.
What is the most surprisingly cool thing your parents did?
My dad could never have been described as cool. He was firm, autocratic, proper, emotionally disabled, distant, non-communicative, uninvolved and mostly grumpy.
When my parents split up and mom moved out, my brother and I were a bit at sea. We’d been close to our mum, but we were now stuck in the house with a dad we barely knew.
My brother, being older, started acting out a bit, and this never ended well for him. One afternoon, as tensions between my dad and him began bubbling up, I steeled myself for the usual and inevitable torrent of verbal abuse my brother was about to receive. Instead, my dad did something completely out of character.
He told us to grab a few glasses each from the kitchen, and he took us into the courtyard out back.
Dad pointed to a concrete tub-shaped structure in the corner.
‘Throw the glasses in there! As hard as you can!’
Whaa..?
‘Go on! It’s okay. Throw them, and make it count.’
My brother and I looked at each other, bemused. He was asking us to purposely break drinking glasses? Had he finally lost his marbles?
My brother went first.
He threw his arm back as far as he could and unleashed glass number one against the brick wall. It shattered into pieces into the tub!
I threw my first glass ‘like a girl’, hesitantly and with no chutzpah! It didn’t even break, so I retrieved it.
Meanwhile, my brother had turned into a full-on Yankees pitcher, and he hurled glass number two. SMASH!
One by one, we took our frustrations out on those poor glasses. Shards everywhere. We were giggling like hooligans.
I believe even my dad was smiling.
When we went back into the house, the atmosphere had dramatically changed. My brother seemed calmer. My dad seemed calmer. I was young, only 10, but I understood my dad’s motivation behind the exercise.
He lacked the emotional skills to support my brother and me with words, so he found a more practical way to let us express our frustration.
In his own inept way, he did a cool thing.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Jungle Films | Forest Reptile - Preditor
Full movie!
Great blazy glory!
I have seen this movie 200 times so far. This movie is never boring. This is Arnold Schwarzenegger's best movie.
I’ve never been known to be one of those types who are always wanting to fight someone or use violence in any way. In my whole life, I’ve only been in 1 physical altercation since I was a kid. I always relied on wits and common sense, and I had no problem simply walking away from a confrontation for the most part, especially, if it was a trivial disagreement.
There is a great story about the one fight I was in as an adult. However, paraphrasing Douglas Adams, this is not that story.
This is the story about a good comeback.
It was over 20 years ago, I was in my early 20’s. The restaurant I worked at had a bartender who was somewhat a bully to most of the staff because his regulars were always around the bar and he would get a laugh out of them by making rude remarks to the rest of the staff. Waiters and Waitresses, kitchen staff, hostesses, etc.
I was waiting tables, working the outdoor patio section where drinks are commonly ordered. I submitted the tables drinks and went to the bar when I thought they’d be ready. He hadn’t even pulled the ticket from the order yet and it was past the time for the drinks to be ready. I got his attention as he was flirting with a regular and asked for the drinks. He went back to his nature of being a total ass hat and said something like I could fight him for it, if I found it that important.
I said “Ya know everyone is really getting sick of you treating us all like this, and if this can fixed by you and I stepping outside, I’m totally game”.
His regulars looked at him to see how’d he react.
He said “If we gonna fight, let me call my family”
My response, very calmly
”You ain’t got to do that, the hospital will call them for you”.
His regulars all laughed and he got angry at me, I just kept staring.
We both kinda got into “restaurant trouble” for our remarks, but nothing ever happened.
I never gotten anymore bad attitude from him though. Either by our warning, my willingness to step out with him, or my remark. We were civil after that, but never friendly.
What's the most important lesson you've learned in life so far? 😁
I learned two lessons that year. One was don’t do something truly stupid. The second was you reap what you sow.
I was a junior in college. I’d dropped out for a year so all my friends were graduating while I had another year left to fulfill my requirements. There were four us girls and someone suggested driving to Florida for spring break. All the college students who could were headed for Fort Lauderdale. My college was in northern Indiana so it was a bit of a hike driving there.
Now, my parents supplemented our education very heavily. For 5 years, two of us were in college at the same time so those were expensive years for them. Going to Florida would cost us $100/each. That was a significant amount of money back then. I was not about to ask Dad for the money. I worked very part time but I didn’t have $100 to spend.
“I’ll loan you the money,” Sandy said. We had a great time but, by definition, loans must be repaid and I did. It took me 6 weeks but I repaid the money.
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Now, for stupid. It was someone’s less than stellar idea to drive straight through. At that time, straight through was a 24 hour trip. We were supposed to drive in shifts but, by ten o’clock, two of them baled and two of us were stuck driving. I can clearly remember the road ahead becoming increasingly blurry and my eyes blinking for longer periods of time. We took 30-minute shifts but it’s a miracle we didn’t crash.
Now, for the bright side. Sandy graduated in May and her graduation gift was a new car. Yes, her parents had that kind of money. Would I like to buy her old car. The car you see above is the car in question. I had another year in school. I couldn’t possibly afford a car.
But her father remembered the $100 I had borrowed and repaid. He said I was good for the loan. In fact, I didn’t have to make payments until I graduated and obtained employment. His terms were beyond generous and I paid the loan in full.
So, within the span of two months, I learned two lessons. I wish I could report never making another stupid mistake but we humans are prone to them and I’m no exception. But I also learned that you reap what you sow for better or worse.
Fun and unique comics
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What is the craziest thing you’ve found in an old coat pocket?
Many years ago, late on a cold and snowy January night, my husband and I were out at a nice Italian restaurant in Greenwich Village and were last to leave, around midnight. At the time my husband was wearing a beautiful full length navy cashmere Ted Lapidus coat that had been his father’s — a VERY expensive coat. When he went to retrieve his coat from the rack, there was one navy coat hanging, but it was not his. My husband was furious that someone had taken his good coat. But I reached into the pockets and pulled out a set of Porsche keys! I assured him that he would be getting his coat back shortly and indeed, first thing in the morning, the restaurant called to arrange an exchange. Personally I would have preferred to have the Porsche.
Exposing The True Nature Of The Sprinkle Sprinkle Effect On The Relationship Market
Her real name is Leticia Padua. One of the hardest lesson I had to learn is that "Women don't Love You, She Loves what you can do for Her".
*groan*
Have you ever caught on to someone trying to scam you before it was too late?
I worked at Borders Bookstore (now defunct). Ten minutes before closing time, a gentleman comes to the Café, and asks if we could do him the “favor” of putting his bag of groceries into our refrigerator. He mentioned that he had milk in the bag, and didn’t want it to spoil while he browsed for books. Sounds simple enough, right? Again: AFRAID OF MILK SPOILING. IN THE TEN MINUTES BEFORE CLOSING. I said NO.
Not because my “scam meter” was buzzing (yet), but just because I remembered that it’s not only against the rules… it’s also a Health Code violation to have personal or “outside the system” food stored with our legitimate items for sale to the public. I had recently taken a Food Safety Course (required for managers who may work the cafe, but not required for the rank & file baristas), so those rules were fresh in my mind.
So what does Mr Milk-Panic do? He goes to someone else in the cafe to ask the same “favor.” I saw that, left the counter to repeat my “no” to both the customer and the barista before an employee said something they would regret.
What next? He walks to the other end of the store, finding a random book-seller to ask the same thing. Fortunately, we had started using radio headsets, so I got the request in my headset. Okay, so NOW my “scam sensor” is fully engaged. Dude hasn’t even started browsing for books yet, and in the 5 minutes left before we lock the doors, he is ANGRY that his fresh milk may spoil (but not concerned enough to just go straight home - hmmmm….). So now I made it clear on the radio (all the employees could hear, but not the customers) that the cafe fridge is NOT to be used for any customers’ personal food, or someone could get fired…PERIOD! Suddenly the “nice” manager was being the mean one, and the customer finally left, yelling some obscenities which didn’t seem to match the “nice man asking for a small favor” persona.
The next day’s staff meeting, the general manager had printed out an emailed scam warning: someone was going around, store to store, asking to refrigerate his bag of groceries. Then… he doesn’t come back for them. Not until a week or more has passed, when it would certainly have been thrown away. Upon hearing that his precious “milk” had been tossed out, the customer would then claim we had thrown out hundreds of dollars’ worth of groceries. He would demand CASH for it… or threaten to report us to the Health Department for allowing outside food into our fridges.
Pay attention to that small, nagging feeling!
What is the biggest turn-off you've ever had on a date?
Met a guy on OKCupid who seemed cool. He had a professional head shot as his profile picture and was pretty well spoken, so I met him for dinner.
Everything was okay, though I didn't really see it progressing to date #2, when he commented on my shoes.
“I wouldn't really go with those shoes next time you wear that dress,” he said.
I thought he was joking and laughed, not at all offended because I'm the first to admit that I know nothing about fashion. Nope.
He continued: “No, seriously. I'm the type of man who needs to know that his woman will not only always look good, but will take my advice when it comes to what she looks good in.”
Crickets. Then he added, “I'd be glad to take you shopping if you don't know what you're doing. You're pretty enough, just need some help with outfits.”
Um, thanks? I did my best to finish the date graciously and deleted his number literally as I walked to my car in the restaurant parking lot.
Funny, bizarre, and definitely a turnoff.
20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH 🎬 Exclusive Full Sci-Fi Movie Premiere 🎬 English HD 2022
Movie time!
The first U.S. spaceship to Venus crash-lands off the coast of Sicily on its return trip. A dangerous, lizard-like creature comes with it and quickly grows gigantic.
Ray Harrihausen's creations were so way ahead of their time. I understand he worked virtually alone and spent huge amounts of time bringing his horrors onto the screen, a true genius.
What did the job interviewer say that made you NOT accept the job offer?
“What business is McDonald’s in?”
The three 20-something young men sat across a table from me. I’d just returned to the States from a couple of years living abroad, and it was time to find a job. Back then (18 years ago), the newspaper classifieds were still a pretty good resource for job hunters. The description had been a bit vague (classifieds were usually short), but the promised wage was decent, so I sent in a résumé, and got an interview.
When I arrived, I waited in a stairwell outside a sparsely furnished office with another guy about my age (20-something), until my interview slot (the last one) came. When I entered, after the usual greetings, that was the first, and only, question asked.
The trouble is, I recognized the question, and its source. Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad books were growing in popularity, and a friend had shown me a passage in which Ray Kroc, owner of the McDonald’s chain, asks a class of Harvard MBA students that very question, receiving predicable answers such as “restaurants,” and “hospitality,” only to reveal that he considers himself to be in the real estate business.
I’ve always considered Kiyosaki’s approach to personal wealth to be irresponsible and well beyond my risk-tolerance level. He was very trendy at the time, and the fact that this question constituted the whole of my interview was a huge red flag for me. In my mind, it communicated:
That this company was following financial trends rather than principles,
and
that the company would probably be long on charisma and short on discipline
Combine that with the lack of concrete detail about the job, and I was more than a bit wary.
I answered the question properly, finished with pleasantries and small talk, and drove away. I received a call-back before I’d gone a single mile; I’d gotten the job. They explained that it was a sales position (something I wouldn’t have bothered interviewing for if I’d known), and started talking about a starting date.
“Actually, I’m not really interested,” I said.
There was silence on the other end of the phone. Finally, he just said, “Okay, thanks!”
That was it. I still feel like I dodged a bullet with that one.
"The world has already changed—and not in the way that people overseas wanted.
But what do they want? What is their endgame?
The United States, having launched a sweeping attack on all undesirable countries simultaneously (you know this axis of 'evil': from Belarus to North Korea, including Russia, China, Iran, and others), realized that they made a mistake.
They brought together the disobedient Russia and their archnemesis, China.
By exerting pressure, they pushed these two states together: Russia, with extensive resources and a powerful defense industry, and China, with enormous economic and human potential.
They realized that they could not handle this union.
But the United States found a way out: they instigated a conflict in Europe, in Ukraine, and put it on the shoulders of the European Union and NATO, promising to help with money.
The goal is to distract, get Russia bogged down in the war with Ukraine, weaken it with the war and sanctions—as Russia will be too busy to build an alliance with China.
Meanwhile, they wanted to deal with China and drag others whenever possible into this showdown: AUKUS [Defense alliance of Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States], which is a new NATO in the Pacific, and then Japan and South Korea.
This is the essence of the U.S. strategy to assert its dominance in the world.
After that, everything will be over: they will throw everyone under the bus, like they did in Afghanistan."
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Excerpt from the address by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko at the 7th Belarusian People's Congress in Minsk, April 24, 2024.
Temu and Shein are next in line on the chopping board.
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China's Temu Takes Over 17% Of US Market Share, Cutting Jobs From American Amazon And Decimating Small Businesses
China's Temu Takes Over 17% Of US Market Share, Cutting Jobs From American Amazon And Decimating Small Businesses
Caleb Naysmith
Thu, Apr 25, 2024, 4:49 AM GMT+8
China's Temu Takes Over 17% Of US Market Share, Cutting Jobs From American Amazon And Decimating Small Businesses
With rising inflation, American consumers are increasingly turning to the Chinese e-commerce platform Temu for their shopping needs. With its enticing tagline “Shop like a billionaire,” Temu has captured 17% of the U.S. market share, posing a challenge to traditional American retailers such as Amazon.com. Spend less. Smile more.
Inc., Dollar Tree Inc. and Five Below Inc. The rise highlights the lucrative and disruptive nature of startups.Owned and operated by PDD Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:PDD), Temu offers a wide range of products, including home decor, pet supplies, beauty and health products and clothing. The platform is known for its competitive pricing, often offering significant discounts on items compared to prices on Amazon. Coupled with Temu’s discount codes, consumers can enjoy even greater savings.
Temu has even become the No. 1 Shopping App on Apple’s App Store, surpassing Amazon, Target Corp. and Walmart Inc., which currently hold the third, fourth and eighth spots, respectively. The No. 2 shopping app is Shein, another Chinese retailer.
Orders purchased on Temu are shipped from China and are estimated to be delivered within 10 days. However, in a bid to compete with Amazon’s fast delivery, Temu opened its marketplace to U.S. warehouses last month. Shopping from these sellers can significantly reduce shipping time, giving U.S. retailers the ability to handle fulfillment and shipping directly.
In December, Reuters reported that Temu was successfully challenging U.S. dollar stores like Dollar Tree and Dollar General Corp., accounting for nearly 17% of the market share in the United States. According to data analytics firm Earnest Analytics, this compares to 8% for Five Below, 43% for Dollar General and 28% for Dollar Tree.
In January, Amazon announced it would lay off 5% of its Buy with Prime workforce, which equips retailers with fulfillment and delivery services.
"Following a recent review, we’ve made the difficult decision to eliminate a small number of roles on our Buy with Prime team. Buy with Prime is a top priority for Amazon, with strong adoption from merchants and positive feedback from customers, and we will continue investing significant resources in Buy with Prime to build on that momentum,” an Amazon statement said.
The ripple effects extend to discount stores like Dollar Tree and 99 Cents Only Stores, both of which have announced significant closures and employee layoffs.
Citing changing consumer demand and economic challenges, 99 Cents Only Stores is shutting all 371 locations in Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas. Dollar Tree plans to close 1,000 locations across its Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores.
The new American dream is to leave
"I live in New York and he is 200% correct. The majority of us are living paycheck to paycheck. I am also moving out of the country soon. America is on a fast decline. Our government does not work for us."
"I realize that this government in Washington—speaking as it does for the American people—has effectively said that it rejects any relationship with Moscow on the basis of conditions that we do not set.
In other words, unless the Russians all agree to adopt whatever we tell them is appropriate for their society and government, unless they remove the people that currently govern them, unless they put their arms down, join hands, and sing 'Kumbaya' with us, we can't get along with the Russians.
Well, sending this kind of money towards Ukraine at this stage signals to the Russians that any hope of a relationship with Washington is dead.
That's why Foreign Minister Lavrov, within the last 48 hours, was interviewed and asked what would happen if there were negotiations, and whether Moscow was still receptive to negotiations.
He said, 'Yes, we will be receptive to negotiations but keep in mind two things:
First of all—just because we negotiate, we will not stop fighting. We will continue until we have achieved all of our objectives militarily.
Secondly—and very importantly—we are not going to cease hostilities for even a brief period of time because we know that we are going to hold what we've won.
Effectively, the facts on the ground have changed and we are no longer willing to talk about trades in what kind of territory we're willing to surrender to you in order to have peace.'
It's over, and we've made fools out of ourselves and, worst of all, we've made fools out of NATO.
NATO looks weak and stupid.
The Ukrainian state is ruined.
Whatever emerges after this will be a rump state and that rump state will effectively be a demilitarized zone—a DMZ—and in it will live Ukrainians that can tend to their fields and go about their lives, but there will be no military power that threatens Russia."
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Excerpt from remarks by retired U.S. Army colonel Douglas Macgregor in an interview with Judge Napolitano, April 23, 2024.
When did the negative perception of masculinity begin?
This is a byproduct of the American “Woman's Rights” movement.
The initial intention was for gender equality, where women would be treated as equals with men. Eventually, a more radical sub-branch of the movement took control and steered the movement towards an anti-male bias. Over the years, they acquired wealthy and powerful contributors, and used their positions in government to fund and control the narrative. Resulting in the destruction of the American male.
This women's rights movement in the United States has gone through several stages.
Each stage has been marked by specific goals, accomplishments, and challenges.
First Wave (19th Century - Early 20th Century)
- Focused on legal issues, particularly women's suffrage (the right to vote).
- Key events: The Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott; the adoption of the 19th Amendment in 1920, granting women the right to vote.
This initial stage is often erroneously considered to be reasonable, but a look at the amendments to the constitution clearly show that the movement removed the stable “Head of the Household” voting role towards one where anyone can vote. Thus, this movement, during the FIRST WAVE, significantly altered the federal government and the spending trajectory of the United States.
Demographics changed substantially. Voting profiles changed radically, and a “nanny state”
became the norm, as the female voters started to demand a government that took on a parental role; thus a government with a greater role in the lives of Americans.
Second Wave (1960s - 1980s)
- Emphasized a broader range of issues, including equality in the workplace, education, reproductive rights, and legal rights.
- Key events: Publication of "The Feminine Mystique" by Betty Friedan in 1963; the establishment of the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1966; the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
- Advocacy for reproductive rights, including the landmark Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade in 1973.
During this wave, the “rights” of women altered the workplace, the Geo-political scene, the educational system, and the kinds of movies and shows on televisions and extracted out of Hollywood. It was during this wave that the notion of a traditional family was discarded, and men started to be depicted as buffoons and useless clowns.
There is a direct correlation between divorce rates and the implementation of pro-feminist initiatives. This was the era of the destruction of the family. As the women entered the work-place, forced layoffs, firings and short-duration employment became the norm.
Third Wave (1990s - Early 2000s)
- Focused on diversity and intersectionality, addressing issues of race, class, sexual orientation, and gender identity within the context of women's rights.
- Emphasized individualism and a more inclusive approach to feminism, acknowledging different experiences and perspectives.
This wave turbocharged the fall of traditional values, and the “career women” entered the work force with government sanctioned privileges that harmed the male roles. The court systems, and child service systems became co-opted by this movement and became hostile to males.
Laws and rules, from family law to corporate law favored females. Lower skilled females were engaged in once-dominant male activities to meet hiring quotas. The result was a gradual decline in the quality of the American work-force.
Fourth Wave (Mid-2000s - Present)
- Characterized by the use of digital and social media to advocate for women's rights and mobilize anti-male activism.
- Focus on sexual harassment, gender-based violence, and the #MeToo movement.
- Greater attention to intersectionality, considering how various aspects of identity intersect and impact the experiences of women and non-binary individuals.
It’s a real problem.
The damage has already been done.
Presently, in the United States and it’s proxy nations, under the LGBQ+ rainbow flag, the male gender is ridiculed, minimized, and berated to a point where various social phenomenons have occurred. To include…
Young men in the 20s have stopped dating.
Young men tend to be virginal, while young women engage in serial promiscuity.
The “Soft man” era where men have “checked out”.
A drop in college and university admissions for men.
A push back on dating with the “drizzle drizzle” movement.
American men are leaving the United States as “passport bros” and not returning.
The changing demographics and the ten year forecast for citizens within this toxic anti-male environment is contentious. Historically, very BAD things happen when large sections males in a nation are hurt, abandoned, ridiculed and disparaged.
It will be very bad.
Apple-Cinnamon Pile o' Pancakes
apple cinnamon pancakes 3 1200x1800 1
Yield: 5 servings (2 pancakes and 2 tablespoons syrup each)
Ingredients
1 cup Apple Cinnamon Cheerios cereal
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
2/3 cup chunky applesauce
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
Maple syrup or maple-flavored syrup*
Instructions
Heat griddle or 12 inch skillet over medium-low heat or to 325 degrees F.
Pour cereal into plastic bag and seal. Crush cereal with rolling pin or can of soup. Pour crushed cereal into large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients, except syrup, just until moistened.
Pour batter, a generous 1/4 cup at a time, onto hot griddle. Cook for 2 minutes or until edges look cooked and bubbles begin to break on the surface. Flip pancakes and cook other side until golden, about 2 minutes longer.
Serve with syrup.
Notes
* Tasty topping: Skip the syrup and top instead with warm apple pie filling or a sprinkle of brown sugar.
What is the worst part about being a man?
No one cares.
It’s time I told you about my Uncle RK.
My late uncle.
A victim of sexism and neglect his entire life.
When he was just a boy, he was expected and pressured to get good grades in school - which he did. On the contrary, they let my mom slack off and had no expectations for her.
Eventually, he ended up placing within the top 200 in a nationally ranked exam and going to one of the most prestigious colleges in the country for peanuts - thanks to a large scholarship.
During his college days, when he visited home, no one bothered to greet him. His own mom forgot he was coming once and ended up giving his room to some relatives for a short stay.
In his early twenties, he was falsely accused of sexual harassment. After spending a few months in jail, my grandmom made a hefty payment to the accuser’s family, who agreed to drop the charges.
He struggled to find employment after college thanks to his criminal record.
After being forced into an arranged marriage, he was stuck with an emotionally abusive wife.
After losing another job at age 30, he got depressed. The humiliation he received from society and from his wife for being unemployed was unbearable.
In July 2000, he killed himself, by jumping off an apartment. Everyone chalked it up to his mental instability. To this day, I still hear them saying that he was a weak and pathetic man who couldn’t handle life.
I think you got it by now.
This is the worst part of being a man: No one cares.
No one cares if you feel lonely, if you feel neglected, if you are falsely accused by a woman, if you have an abusive wife, if you lose your job and feel worthless or if you kill yourself.
My uncle RK is a lot like me. He’s introverted, sweet and sensitive person. He’d never harm a fly. He used to take great care of his little sister (my mom) and show affection to his older brother.
He’s also a genius. He managed to build a working generator when he was just a boy (remember this was before the internet). He was always the smartest guy around.
He was cool too. When he toured Japan in the nineties, he brought back some novel electronic gadgets, among them was a digital dictionary.
I wish I had met him.
I wish he was alive. We could have talked about so much. He could have been a mentor to me.
Rest in peace. Uncle RK - 1969–2000.
A Boy and His Dog | Post-Apocalypse | Don Johnson | Classic Drama Film
I cannot believe that this entire film is free on youtube. It is a great watch. Take the time to enjoy this fun, and very funny, Classic Drama Movie: A Boy and His Dog - A young man and his telepathic dog wander through a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
