This is a a year of the wood dragon. It is a great expanse of opportunity for the well prepared explorer.

I suggest that everyone have goals.

That everyone have planned affirmation campaigns.

That everyone understands their career, work and fiances.

We cannot predict the future; as it is the nature of our thoughts that direct our actions. We can only play the gravitational influences; our Fate Forecasting.

Review yours today. Take note of the auspicious months and the inauspicious months.

A book, a journal… helps.

Note that I also have a new youtube channel. It is 100% devoted ONLY to affirmation campaigns. I think I have something like 15 to 20 videos already posted up on it.

HERE IS MY NEW CHANNEL

Please like and subscribe!

Today…

 

As a surgeon, have you opened somebody up only to realise that they were beyond saving?

Unfortunately, yes.

There was this patient, 55 year old guy. He came with acute abdominal pain. The patient was in severe distress and the vitals weren’t good even at presentation. He was way too unstable to get a CT scan so we went ahead with just an Ultrasound.

Ultrasound wasn’t very conclusive but it suggested intestinal obstruction. The patient was just getting worse and worse so we gave him initial resuscitation and decided to open him. We were prepared to face unexpected scenarios. But we weren’t prepared for what it actually was.

As soon as we entered the abdominal cavity, copious amounts of reddish liquid oozed out. A little deeper and there it was..about 80% of his stomach, duodenum, the entire small intestine a portion of ascending and transverse colon were almost black in colour.

Every surgeon’s arch nemesis…Superior Mesentric Artery thrombosis.

But in this case Stomach was also involved. Basically, the blood supply to his stomach and his entire small intestine and parts of large intestine was compromised. Due to this the parts were ischaemic. There is nothing you can do in this situation. If there was enough healthy gut remaining we would have just cut out the dead part and anastomosed the healthy parts. There just wasn’t enough healthy gut here. So we just closed the patient up, informed the relatives and sent the patient back to the ICU where he passed away a few hours later, surrounded by his family.

It’s very disheartening for a surgeon to accept there’s nothing you can do for the patient in front of you. But then, a good surgeon knows when to cut but the best ones know when not to. Just operating when we knew he wouldn’t survive the procedure would have led to him dying on the table.

At least buy closing him up he could pass away surrounded by his family. And believe me, that matters. That matters to the patient and that matters to the family. And while I was heartbroken at losing my patient, it gave me the tiniest bit of satisfaction knowing that we could give that family the last few hours with him. And, hopefully, we could give them closure.

 

This is a new trend…

Girls flashing. Showing a bare back and some side boob.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Z6U4E8hM6_8?feature=share

Has a cop ever said something to you which was completely unexpected?

Yes.

First one: I was a single mom and my daughter’s father never paid a dime in child support. When she was very young, I was pretty destitute. Needed my car to get to and from work, but couldn’t afford to pay for insurance. My car was such an old beater that I couldn’t pass the emissions test, and couldn’t afford the $150 worth of repairs required to get a waiver. And I couldn’t replace my expired license tabs without either passing emissions or getting the waiver.

So, I spent $25 on a temporary 3-day pass and put a layer of tape over it. Put another layer of tape over the first one and wrote a date 3-days out on the top layer of tape. Every 3 days, I would replace the top layer of tape and write a new date.

I was out late visiting friends one night and got pulled over by the police on my way home. They shined their light on my temporary pass and my heart sank. Officer asked for my license, registration, and proof of insurance. After handing them my license (and hoping they would forget about the rest), he said he pulled me over because my temporary pass was expired. I knew the date was good until the next day, so I said, “Officer, are you sure? I’m pretty certain it doesn’t expire until tomorrow”.

The officer looks at his watch and says, “My apologies, ma’am, you still have 15 minutes”. And he let me leave.

Second one: Two weeks later, I’m driving that same old beater (with freshly dated tape), it’s dark and raining, and some guy comes speed-racing around me while an officer is headed in my direction and the officer immediately hangs a U-turn. I thought he was going after the guy that was speeding, but no, he pulled me over!!

Asks for my license which I had in a zippered pouch with a ton of other cards (debit, credit and store rewards cards), and spent a long time rummaging to try and find it, the officer becoming more impatient and angrier by the second. I finally found it and presented it to the officer. He glances at it and then asks for proof of insurance. So, I decide to play it off, and I tell him, “That will be another few minutes, officer”. I opened my glove box, and right on queue, it vomited paperwork all over the floor of my car. The officer now has a great big “Frankenstein vein” pulsing on his forehead and he shouts “Never mind, I”m letting you off with a warning this time”. LOL, never did say why he pulled me over or what the warning was for!!

You are inferior

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/O5_1pgq7LLM?feature=share

Caldo Verde (Cabbage Soup)

Many soups of Italy, like this one, are served at the table with a jug of olive oil. The cabbage must be very finely sliced because it is barely cooked.

Ingredients

• 1 pound potatoes
• 1 pound green cabbage, finely sliced
• Water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Peel and cook potatoes in just enough salted water to cover them. Blend potatoes with their cooking water. Thin with more water if necessary. You should have a medium consistency.
2. Add cabbage and olive oil.
3. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes, until the cabbage is lightly cooked. It should be a little crisp.

Notes

Serve with a jug of olive oil.

 

Delusion

She’s in her early 20’s, but she will end up with lots and lots and lots of cats.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BhRNoGG2l2Q?feature=share

Why are Indian breakfasts so heavy as compared to the Western ones?

Size of breakfast is not a country thing. It’s a class thing.

In the west, Blue collar workers, people who work outside, or work with their hands tend to have a huge breakfast, small lunch and huge dinner. This is because during lunch time, they may not have access to refrigeration, and hence might have to take something for lunch that doesn’t​;t spoil. Or they may not be in a place where they can sit down and eat, so they take things that are easy to eat. So, they load up on calories in the morning. Physical labor requires a lot of calories

This is a “lumberjack” breakfast from Denny’s. Lumberjacks are people who go into the woods to cut trees. They need lot of calories

White collar workers, OTH, tend to eat all thought out the workday. If they are not having lunch, they are either snacking or having coffee. This is because their environment gives them free access to food. As a result, they don’t load up on calories in the morning.

This is what a white collar worker typically eats in the morning

 

 

What type of person angers you the most?

My friend and I were patiently waiting for our food at the table. As it was a self-service cafe, we got a number showing our order, and when it was announced we needed to collect it ourselves.

The number came up, and we went to collect our dishes.

Lo and behold, as we turned our backs a group of ladies gracefully lowered our bags on the floor and sat at our table.

Mind you, the whole process was less than a minute.

When we went back, we gently but firmly asked them to move.

“Oi, how am I supposed to know you guys are sitting here? You think by putting your bags here it’s your space?”

“Excuse m…”

“This is a public space and we can sit anywhere we want. Don’t think tha..”

BAM. I put my bowl down loudly. Everyone who wasn’t paying attention before turned their heads. She froze in shock.

“You saw our bags, you saw us take our food, and you threw our stuff on the floor. I will make a larger fuss of this unless. You. Move. From. My. Place.“

They sheepishly left, leaving my pal and me to eat peacefully.

---

If you use your privileges to justify rude behaviour, you are just waiting for trouble to erupt.

Do not mess with a hungry person.

 

Bye Bye USA

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3Jc9iIAkO-A?feature=share

What happens to a bullet if it is shot into the air?

Tested on Mythbusters. Shot straight up, the bullet will climb and decelerate as it loses energy, at the top, the bullet will have zero energy and tumble back to earth, landing in the vicinity of the firing point. the bullet will experience atmospheric drag on the way up and the way down. There will be more drag on the way down due to the tumbling. The impact velocity will be the terminal velocity of the bullet. It will give you a nasty bump on your noggin, but not kill you.

Fired at any angle other than straight up, the bullet will retain enough energy over the top of its ballistic arc to come back down in a stable spin, and cause injury or death.

Under ideal circumstances (no wind, fired exactly straight up) the bullet returns to the location from which it was fired at the same velocity as the muzzle velocity.

Edit: (Yes, I’m a dumbass). The bullet returns to the location it was fired from at terminal velocity of a falling object, not muzzle velocity. I must have taken my stupid pill that morning.

The fact that the bullet tumbled on the way down both causes the bullet to slow down more and to have a higher likelihood of impacting on its side (larger impact area).

Short answer. Don’t try this at home.

Feel Good Music

Peter Thomas Orchestra – “Chariots of Gods Theme (Erinnerungen an die Zukunft)” (epic melody, 1970)
The Birdwatchers – “I Have No Worried Mind” (sunshine pop, 1966)
Georges Delerue – “Curly Sue Interlude” (instrumental, 1991)
Ray Davis & His Button-Down Brass – “A Taste Of Honey” (jazzy instrumental, 1964)
Agnetha Faltskog – “Disillusion” (beautiful song, 1973)
The Superficials – “Gone” (indie pop, 2001)
Claude Thornhill & His Orchestra – “If I Had A Ribbon Bow – Maxine Sullivan” (so smooth, 1939)
The Fireballs – “Light In The Window” (great pop, 1965)
The Objections (Sweden) – “I’m Through” (psych pop, 1966)
Juan Martin – “Romanza”, “Last Farewell” from “Serenade” LP (awesome orchestral pop, 1984)
The Quid – “Mersey-Side” (Merseybeat instrumental, 1963)
Mantovani & His Orchestra – “Theme From Moulin Rouge” (instrumental, 1959)
Drupi – “Sereno E” (classic song, Italy 1974)
Lewis & Clark Expedition – “Daddy’s Plastic Child” (psych-sunshine pop, 1967)
Pino Donaggio – Music from “Botte di Natale”: “Travis”, “The Prairie” (epic western, 1994)
XTC – “The Disappointed” (great power pop, UK 1992)
The Charles Kingsley Creation – “Summer Without Sun” (Joe Meek pop, 1964)
The Tornados – “Dragonfly” (nice instrumental, 1964)
Peter & Gordon – “Go To Pieces” (Merseybeat, 1965)
Secret Service – “Destiny Of Love” (romantic pop, 1983)
Enigma – “Prism Of Life”, “Beyond The Invisible” (epic stuff, 1997)
Johann Sebastian Bach – Cantata BWV 1, First Chorale (by Georg Christoph Biller) (baroque, 1724)
The Ventures – “Telstar” (classic instrumental, 1963)

Crowded House – “Not The Girl You Think You Are” (great song, 1992)
Ray Conniff & His Orchestra – “Taking A Chance On Love ” (happy tune, 1965)
Michel Legrand – “Chanson du Prince (sung by Jean-Pierre Savelli) from “Peau d’Ane” movie (romantic song, 1970)
Ennio Morricone – “Canzone Per Donatella” from “Quando L’amore e Sensualita” (piano instrumental, 1973)
Linus Of Hollywood – “When I Get To California” (neo-sunshine pop, 1999)
Guido & Maurizio De Angelis – “Trinity Stand Tall” song, from “Continuavano a chiamarlo Trinita” (western, Italy 1972)
Jean Sibelius – Symphony No.1, 1st Movement” (epic orchestral piece, 1899)
The Fredric – “Saturday Morning in Rain” (rare pop psych, 1968)
The New Colony Six – “The Time Of The Year Is Sunset” (haunting psych, 1966)
Ferrante & Teicher – “You’re Too Much” (romantic instrumental, 1959, here)
The Cleves – “You And Me” (pop psych, 1968, New Zealand)
Johann Sebastian Bach – “Cantata BWV 204 “Ich Bin In Mir Vergnügt”, by Ton Koopman / Ruth Holton (beautiful arias, 1724)
Cilla Black – “Something Tells Me” (sunshine pop, UK 1967)
Richard Alden & His Orchestra – “‘S Wonderful” (cool instrumental, here)
Paul Mauriat – “L’Avventura” (instrumental, 1972)
Justin Hayward – “Day Must Come” (sunshine pop, UK 1966)
18th Century Corporation – “Message To Michael” (“Bacharach Baroque”, 1968)
Johann Sebastian Bach – “Cantata BWV 8, Finale Choral” by Masaaki Suzuki (baroque, 1724)
Carlo Savina – “Le Nochi Buena” from “Le calde notti di Don Giovanni” (relaxing, 1971)
The Stone Country – “Everywhere I Turn” (US pop psych, 1968)
Carlo Rustichelli – Main Title from “Avanti” (happy melody, Italy 1972)
Duran Duran – “Last Chance On The Stairway”, “Save A Prayer” (new wave, synth pop, UK 1982)
Antonio Vivaldi – “Concerto No.5 in E minor, RV280: III. Allegro” (great baroque, 1712)
Foxx – “Sunshine Children” (happy little tune, 1970)
Zack Hemsey – “Mind Heist” (absolutely epic, 2010 – here)

Fat stores

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lZez8PIskg8?feature=share

Fine drawing

This wonderful drawing of the satisfied cat (thinking “I should buy a boat”, perhaps?) was made back in 1899 (published in Russian children magazine “Svetlyachok”):

 

Were Allied troops really mowed down while landing in Normandy like in the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan?

My grandfather, third from the right in the picture below. He was 19 when he was supposed to hit Omaha. His troop carrier was hit on the way in and he swam in with absolutely nothing. The story he told was this: I got up on the beach and laid down behind a big piece of wood that was part of a blown up something. He’d had to come out of all of his gear to keep from drowning. He was trying to calm down and figure out what to do when this old crusty major walked up like it was a beautiful day on the beach and asked him what in the hell he was doing. Bullets are zipping around and explosions everywhere, people screaming and this guy looks like there’s not a thing in the world happening. Grandpa says “I don’t know what to do! I’ve lost all my gear.” The major says “ There’s gear everywhere, boy! Start picking shit up and get off of this beach now!” So he did. He said he grabbed every loose rifle, pistol, backpack, satchel, everything and got as far up the beach as he could.

When Saving Private Ryan came out, he wanted to go see it. He and my Grandma went, about 10 minutes in he got up and Grandma asked him where he was going? He said “Home. It hasn’t been long enough yet.”

He was transferred to Patton’s army and went all the way to Czechoslovakia. I’m pretty sure he was in Belgium when this picture was taken. It’s used as the cover photo for a book called Steel Victory by Harry Yeide. Grandpa went through it and noted all the battles he’d fought in that were mentioned in the book.

Edit: thanks for all the upvotes and comments. It’s amazing that a simple thing like this can get so many votes.
Another quick story about the above picture. They were lazing around in the halftrack when the photographer came by and asked to get that picture. They all started digging rifles out and the guy on the very end couldn’t find his rifle. Somebody told him just to carry the BAR (I think that’s what he said but I’m not an expert in war weapons so it might be something different. Regardless, it’s the biggest gun and the smallest guy according to grandpa ) because nobody would know any better back home. Grandpa thought it was funny that the smallest guy had the biggest gun.

Edit 2: Several people have asked about the Major who sent Grandpa off the beach. I asked my Uncle about it and he said Grandpa never mentioned a name and probably didn’t even know his name. If anybody reads this and had a family member who was a walking, talking, badass Major getting men off of Omaha Beach, let me know.

 

Laundry hacks

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/j6-UY24Qepg?feature=share

What’s the most insignificant amount of power you’ve seen get to someone’s head?

I once worked with a teacher who thought it was a huge deal that she was the only teacher at the school who was allowed to use the laminator. She only had that position for logistical reasons… the laminator took a long time to warm up, so it made sense to do all of the laminating at the same time.

So, if you needed something laminated, you had to give it to her and, once per week, she’d fire up the laminator and run everything through it.

I have never once, in my decade of teaching, needed anything laminated. Not once.

Still, she brought up her position as “official school laminator” on a monthly basis. She was so proud of it. She’d email us updates about her pile of things to be laminated.

“I have a big pile this week, so, if you need something laminated, get it to me now. I’m going to start early so I can get this all done.”

It wouldn’t surprise me if she even had it on her resume.

Jane Smith, English Teacher, Director of Laminating, Girls’ Lacrosse Coach

The Big Show

Posted on February 12, 2024

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One of the novel things about this age is the role played by carnival acts in reinforcing public morality and shaping public opinion. With the exception of ancient Athens, human societies assigned entertainers a low status. After all, we still have the expression, “run away to the circus”, even though we no longer have the circus. The idea behind that expression is you reach such a degraded state that you literally leave decent society and join the low status world of the circus.

In modern America and the West in general, the circus not only plays a central role in society, but the circus performers also have enormous influence. So much so, in fact, the most powerful people want to be friends with the popular carnies. Every president has a stream of carnies coming through the White House, often attending state dinners with important foreign leaders. Carnies have even turned up in Ukraine, getting a special welcome by the Ukrainian dictator.

Of course, we have just had the biggest circus event on the American calendar, which is the Super Bowl, the title game of the NFL. According to the people in charge, almost all Americans stop what they are doing to watch the spectacle. The Super Bowl party has become something of an industry. Americans spend over $15 billion on parties that host three quarters of all adults. Naturally, all the important carnies seek a way to be part of what is the biggest carnie act of the year.

It is popular to compare the Super Bowl to the Roman games, maybe even dusting off Juvenal’s line about bread and circuses. There is some truth to that, but the Roman games were nothing compared to American entertainment. The games were a distraction for the masses and important people, but the performers were never treated like the modern celebrity or athlete. The performers in the arena were low status and important people made sure they remained so.

This is the great innovation of America. Entertainment has become a church at which the morality of the day is preached to the audience. It is easy to see at the Super Bowl, where moral messaging is everywhere. In the end zones there was a message about ending racism, a hobgoblin of the modern elites. There were ads about other hobgoblins like antisemitism, bullying and Gaia. They have your attention, so they make sure to let you know what you ought and ought not be doing.

Then you have the appeals to unity, by which they mean conformity. At the start of the game, you get patriotic songs. They even have something called the “The Black National Anthem” which is supposed to shame whites and remind them they can never be forgiven for the sin of whiteness. In a prior age, parishioners were told they were at the mercy of an angry God. Today they are told they are at the mercy of angry minorities, which is far more terrifying than an angry god.

When these songs are played at the start of the game, the players, who should only care about winning, make themselves cry and look moved by the program. This is where you see the supremacy of carny life. The star players know this game is really an audition for them to join the media circus or possibly get a brand going so they can be a celebrity past their playing career. Everyone wants to run away to the circus, even people already in the circus.

You see the warping power of the circus with the public romance of Chiefs player Kelce Travis and middle-aged warbler Taylor Swift. She is a super famous pop star, but she can always be more famous, so dating a famous sports star, especially one who gets to perform in the big circus, is good business. The NFL loves it and makes sure to feature this totally authentic romance in their shows. Any bets on whether these two love birds manage to build a life together?

All of this is the product of democracy. In theory, democracy is about convincing fifty percent plus one. In order to do that, you need to get the attention of the public, which is why celebrity becomes the coin of the democratic realm. The only way you can have a chance to influence anyone is by getting on the stage and you do that by getting everyone’s attention. Carnies live to get attention, so it does not take long before they take center stage in the democratic process.

It is why our politicians are mostly actors playing a role. The producers of the political shows are no different from the people who make movies, television shows or produce extravaganzas like the Super Bowl. They select people who can play the role, which often means picking people who will not question the script. Oklahoma senator James Lankford was picked because he is not smart enough to question things. He looks the part, and he reads his lines. That is why he is in the Senate.

It is easy to be critical of mass democracy, but the Super Bowl shows how powerful it is at controlling the masses. More people care about why Travis Kelce wore a suit made from garbage bags than the fact Joe Biden is non compos mentis. More important, it encourages the masses to empty their wallets in order to see the next show that the ruling elite will stage for them. Mass democracy is where the ruling elite charge the masses to be the masses.

For most of human history, carnies were relegated to the fringes of society because the running of society was too important to do otherwise. Today the running of society is over on the fringes, in the shadows where no one looks, because the carnies are now at the center of society. Maybe this is how the great experiment with participatory government is supposed to end. The masses think their voice matters, but in reality, no one cares, just as long as they pay full price for their ticket.

 

Sigma and Alpha males

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/aC-4rjRWkhQ?feature=share

Why would a teacher question a 6-year-old about her gender?

Look… I’m 100% in favor of you being whatever gender you are. Once upon a time (maybe five years ago?) I was easily able to tell what gender a student was 99% of the time. I won’t pretend that I didn’t make mistakes here and there, but it was pretty damned rare. Every year for the last several years, I’ve had transgender students. In general, if you’re sensitive to it and you honestly do your level best to treat them with respect as to the gender they identify themselves as, you’re fine.

But here’s the problem: the English language has these tricky things called “pronouns.” Those pronouns are gendered.

Let’s say that I have a student named Jaime. Jaime looks stereotypically male, buuuuuut you’ve heard from other students that Jaime identifies as female. So what do you do? You can ignore it and only call Jaime by name, but that’s awkward and clearly avoids the issue… which is a bit disrespectful. You can call Jaime by male pronouns, but now you’re being an asshole if Jaime identifies as female. You can call Jaime by female pronouns, but that could really set a boy off if you call him by female pronouns. You could go with a gender-neutral pronoun, but “it” is daaaaaamned insulting.

You know… you could pull Jaime aside and say, “So… here’s the deal… I’m going to let you know that this is a safe place and I’m okay with you being whoever you want to be. I have been hearing rumors that you want to be called by female pronouns. Is that correct? Cool. Sounds good to me. I’ll do my best to honor your wishes.”

Except… now people are upset because you’re “questioning a six-year-old about his/her gender.”

You just can’t win.

Fortunately “people” aren’t my boss. I don’t serve them. I serve my students, so I’ll just continue to do… whatever it is that I already do.

Truth

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3qW2gBE93Z4?feature=share

Crossover: Dieselpunk + Retrofuture, by Victor-Albert Bouffort

“Victor-Albert Bouffort was an aeronautics engineer who took it upon himself to design and build some pretty crazy cars in the years after WWII. The first was this magnificent streamlined three-wheeler based on a Citroen Traction-Avant”. Read this good article about this man here.

 

What was a loophole that you found and exploited the hell out of?

It wasn’t exactly a loophole, but it was something I exploited the hell out of. I wanted a new snowmobile, and they offered nothing down, and no payments for two years, interest free. I couldn’t get a discount for cash, so I took the deal. This was quite a few years ago. The sled was $4000, so I put the $4000 in a GIC guaranteed investment certificate, at 5 percent for two years, ending a couple of days before the first payment was due.

The deal was that as long as you paid for your snowmobile before the two years was up, you didn’t have to pay interest. But if you owed 1 penny on the snowmobile after two years, you owed 19.99 percent a year for 2 years on the entire $4000.

So this was a bit of a stress, but manageable. I had a cash back credit card, and I paid off my snowmobile with the credit card, and got 1 percent cash back. I had also received another points credit card, that allowed me to transfer the credit card balance from another credit card interest free for 6 months, during the first month after I activated it. So when my credit card was due, I transferred the balance. I still had to pay for all my purchases, but the transfer was kept separate.

When the six months was up, my line of credit offered me zero interest for three months, on any money I borrowed that month.

But I figured I had already pushed the system as far as I could.

So at the end of two years and seven months, I had earned $400 interest and $40 in cash back, plus points, on my snowmobile.

I could have made it to at least 2 years and 10 months interest free, But I was starting to think I would forget, and miss a payment and I would wreck my credit rating, so I called it quits.

Fool-proof

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/wYY1eIJzwSI?feature=share

“You Didn’t Even Post. So What Did You Do Today?”

I have had no idea what serious issue to post about today.

But this:

When I say that running MoA is a full time job it raises doubts and I may even get laughed at. But it is. Even when I don’t post.

I have to read, every day, a large number of pieces and/or watch videos to collect new ideas. It takes time to process those into conscious contexts and then those into blog posts.

Today, like every day, I have of course skimmed over of the usual mainstream stuff, NYT and WaPo nonsense, but found little in it to take note of.

I then skimmed through the comments at this blog and cleared up the spam list.

Then I walked through what my various news feeds provide. It is often quite a lot.

Here is what I consumed (read or watched) today and found worthy enough to copy URL, headline and some excerpts.

Middle East:

• The World’s Gyre – SCF
  Biden may see himself needing some ‘grand victory’, as much as does Netanyahu, Alastair Crooke writes.
• Alastair Crooke: Regional Armageddon in Middle East (video) (30min) – Judge Napolitano
• U.S. strikes on militias, some backed by Iran, rile key ally in Iraq – Washington Post
• Israel Weaponizes Sympathy And Victimhood – Caitlin Johnstone

Ukraine-Russia:

• Ukraine May Have Deployed One Its Best Brigades To Try To Save Avdiivka – Forbes
• BAD ASSUMPTIONS, BAD RESULTS (BY HELMHOLTZ SMITH) – Sonar21
• Planning for the Aftermath (looong) – RAND
  Assessing Options for U.S. Strategy Toward Russia After the Ukraine War
• Erich Vad im Interview: „Über das Schicksal der Ukraine wird in Washington und Moskau entschieden“ – Berliner Zeitung
• GALICIAN NATIONALISM: UKRAINE’S DISASTER: PART ONE – M Bastal
• In Memory of Gonzalo Lira- Galician Nationalism: Ukraine’s Disaster: Part 2 – M Bastal
• Former CIA Analyst Issues Warning to Zelensky – Newsweek
• Zaluzhny firing not even a band-aid as Ukraine strategy bleeds out – Responsible Statecraft
• Zelensky names Ukraine’s new army chief after removing Zaluzhny (archived) – London Times
• Jacques Baud n’aurait-il pas plutôt annoncé et répété très tôt une vérité que personne ne voulait entendre à l’ouest? (video 1h30m) (In French: I used CC and autotranslate to make sure I get it.)
• Zelensky enacts strategy for de-occupation and reintegration of Crimea (Mar 2021) – Ukrinform
• The Republican Plot Against Donald Trump – American Conservative
  The inside story of how Congress is pursuing endless war in Ukraine—and trying to stop a Trump election.

China:

• China will not fall into ‘trap’ of war in Taiwan Strait: former envoy Cui Tiankai – SCMP
• The Red Sea Crisis Proves China Was Ahead of the Curve – Foreign Policy
  The Belt and Road Initiative wasn’t a sinister plot. It was a blueprint for what every nation needs in an age of uncertainty and disruption.

Other stuff:

• Glaring irregularities – Editorial – DAWN
• The Hole In Boeing’s Inspection Program – Lever News
• Sam Altman’s chip ambitions may be loonier than feared – The Register

That is all I did for the day. It feels like a lot. And that was without writing a real piece for the blog.

Oh, not to forget – I also bought food and prepared a meal for myself.

Later today I will read the Strana.news summary of the day (usually out at 18:00 UTC). At 20:30 UTC I will listen to Dima’s Military Summary (well, at least to the first 10 minutes of it).

Then it will finally be the end of my day.

So what did you do today?

Posted by b on February 12, 2024 at 17:46 UTC | Permalink

 

Is there still fear towards China in the Western world, now that it has become a global superpower? If so, what are the reasons for this fear and to what extent does it exist?

There is nothing to fear about China attacking you, or stealing your land or colonising you or bombing you indiscriminately. There is nothing to even fear about China being authoritarian or bullying you or stealing your intellectual property.

But you are right to fear China will learn fast, with work hard, will build the best infrastructure, will send their children to the best school, will work very hard and stay disciplined and whatever you do Chinese can do better, faster and cheaper.

With 1.4 billion people or 4 times the U.S. population, or double the western world, China will overtake you and beat you in everything you do! They cannot be stopped unless you are ready to lose your limbs! China will be wealthier, more successful, more modern, efficient and effective than you.

But you were made to have irrational fears and thoughts to make you forget your failings and the consequences of your over exaggerated expectations of yourself set by your own hubris and xenophobic tendencies that is fanned by western media. It exists everywhere in the west and particularly the Anglophone world.

Let me be honest to you. So that you don’t live under the rock anymore. China has overtaken you in every sense of the world. China is in fact the leader and the most powerful nation now! Never mind the flawed GDP and the self deception. But the good news is China don’t want you dead. China only want to keep selling to you!

Instant Mail Delivery, 1964 style:

 

Have you ever been rude to someone and thought that you were right in doing so?

Oh, yes!

It was about 30 years ago, and I was having my car cleaned at a very big car wash. When the cars came out of the wash tunnel, they were placed in one of 5 lines, where men were busily wiping the cars down. When it was done, the guys would wave their towel for you to retrieve your vehicle.

Now these were mostly Hispanic men (it was in So Cal), and most spoke little to no English. My car was in the middle lane. There was a car in front of mine, a luxury make that I can’t remember. The detailer waved me to my car, but I was stuck. The driver (a woman) was inspecting her car, and making another detailer redo where she would point. I am a patient person, but I truly was boxed in and couldn’t move until she did.

She’d lean close and point to another spot. This went on for at least 6 minutes. I was getting pretty annoyed, and finally, on a whim, I pulled out a $10 bill (keep in mind that most tips at that time were between $1–2. I got out of my car, walked over to the hard-working detailer, and handed the 10 spot to him, saying (loud enough for it to be heard by the woman) “Here, that’s for you, because you know that b@#$h won’t be tipping you.” I turned and walked back to my car, to scattered applause from other car owners who had been watching the whole scene.

The detailer quickly pocketed the cash, and the woman got into her car, slammed the door, and took off.

Pasta Fagioli

This classic Pasta e Fagioli is maybe the perfect pantry soup! With canned tomatoes, canned beans and pasta. A bit of pancetta is added, for a salty note and of course, cheese in the form of Parmesan or Pecorino.

Enjoy this hearty, easy pasta fagioli soup for a hearty lunch, or add a crusty bread (or garlic bread) and a salad for a lovely pantry dinner.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces Santa Fe chicken sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup uncooked small seashell pasta
• 2 cups coarsely chopped zucchini (about 2 small zucchini)
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) shredded asiago cheese

Instructions

• Step 1: Brown the pancetta or bacon.
• Step 2: Add the diced onion and celery and cook until softened.
• Step 3: Add the garlic and herbs.
• Step 4: Add some tomato paste and cook for another minute.
• Step 5: Add the canned tomatoes.
• Step 6: Add the rinsed beans.
• Step 7: Cook the tomatoes and the beans together for about 10 minutes. *You can make ahead up to this point and refrigerate to finish when ready to eat later.
• Step 8: Add the broth.
• Step 9: Add the pasta and cook until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

FAQ

• What kind of pasta can I use in this soup? Any small pasta is fine. I’ve used Ditalini pasta here. Small shells, macaroni or even orzo would work as well.
• Can I use a different kind of bean? Absolutely, use what you have. Red kidney, navy, great northern or pinto beans would be great options.
• Can I use canned whole tomatoes instead of diced? Yes. Just hand crush them before adding to the soup.
• What is a Parmesan rind? It’s just the harder, darker outside of a Parmesan wedge. I like to keep the ends in a bag in my fridge for just these uses. If yours doesn’t have a rind, just cut off a chunk of the Parmesan and use that. No fresh Parmesan? Just stir a few Tbsp of grated Parmesan into the soup instead.

Top Tip

I feel like a bit of a broken record, but I’m going to say it again 🙂 Be sure to properly season your soup at the end of cooking. Taste it. If it tastes bland or flat, it needs salt. Some freshly ground pepper is nice, too. Need a touch more oregano? Stir that in at the end as well. And finally, top this soup with shavings of extra Parmesan (vs. grated). The hit of Parmesan is so lovely in this soup. Use your vegetable peeler to shave it on top before serving.

1. Heat a large saucepan over high heat. Add sausage; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
2. Add broth and pasta; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 4 minutes.
3. Add zucchini and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 2 minutes.
4. Stir in basil, oregano and beans; cover and simmer for 3 minutes or until pasta and zucchini are tender.
5. Sprinkle with cheese.

Yield: 5 servings (serving size: about 1 1/3 cups soup and about 1 tablespoon asiago cheese)

 

Simple

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/FesnUDdeORc?feature=share

Have you ever seen a mass exodus after a respected employee quit or got fired?

I was the nursing director for two large units at a Level 1 Trauma Center. I was “offered” a wonderful opportunity to move to a newly created Nurse Research position – same pay grade, same salary. Now, I am 100% not a research minded person. I realized that this was a move by Nursing Administration to get me out of the unit director position. Since I was two years away from retirement, I took it.

There was a HUGE going away party since I had been at the hospital for 25 years at that point. Many nurses that I had hired and mentored had moved to other positions, management, education, etc…. The next week, five of the most seasoned nurses transferred to other units in the hospital. A month later, another four left to go traveling and specifically said in their exit interview and on social media that they were leaving because I wasn’t there. It was quite satisfying. I tolerated the position for two years and then I retired. At my retirement party, I looked across the room and realized that almost 100% of the Staff (nursing and others) had been hired by me over the years.

So I would call the exodus of the most experienced nurses – the ones who oriented, mentored, clinical experts, informal leaders – a max exodus.

 

Belief

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/apOhIzziIsg?feature=share

As a teacher, had you ever had to enforce rules implemented by the school or district that you thought were ridiculous?

Yes, of course.

I’m upfront about this with my students, too.

“Look, kids, I didn’t make this rule, and I think it’s a stupid rule, but I am paid to enforce it, so do me a favor and just go along with it, okay?”

You’d be surprised at how many middle schoolers are receptive to that kind of frankness. Not all of the students… there’s always going to be the kids who like to push boundaries and break rules for the sake of pushing boundaries and breaking rules… but the majority of students are cool with you if you’re cool with them about these things.

The worst “stupid rule” I had to enforce was about seven years ago, when I worked at a school that was on the verge of closing, for a principal that was on the verge of retiring. Her retirement was about a decade too late, I thought. She’d been in education since the 1960s, and expected students to act the same in 2012 as they did back when she first started in the field.

Among the stupid rules I had to enforce:

• Absolutely zero talking in the hallway while switching classes. Her office was at the end of the hallway, and she didn’t believe in closing her door for anything. She just expected 150 students aged 11–14 to all go into the hall at the same time, go to their lockers, and go to their next class in complete silence. Teachers had to stand by their doors to enforce this unenforceable stupid rule. We had faculty meetings every week, and almost every week, we were spoken down to about not enforcing the silence in the halls during passing periods. We were enforcing it as best we could. She just didn’t get that students these days don’t have that kind of self control or concern for rules they think are stupid.
• All student work had to be in cursive. Even when I was a kid in the 1980s, they didn’t enforce the cursive writing rule. They taught us how to write in cursive in third grade, and by fifth grade, no one cared if we stuck with it. So I didn’t. I struggle to read cursive writing when the students do it. I prefer print. Most of the students preferred to print. But she insisted on everything being in cursive, because that’s how it was when she was a kid.
• Faculty may not leave the school during their planning periods or lunch breaks. I once drove down the street to get a coffee during my planning period, and, when I came back, all of the students were in the parking lot for a fire drill. She saw me, and threatened to fire me if I ever did it again. I still did it. I’m an adult, and I can do what I damn well please during my breaks. If principals want to start with the “planning periods must be used only for planning” business, then I’ll just start with the “okay, then I am doing absolutely zero planning or grading at home in the evenings and on the weekends.” The truth is that most teachers… most of them I know, at least… do the majority of their grading and planning at home on the weekends and evenings. There is no way planning periods would cover all of it.

 

Gonzalo Lira Has Now Died After Trying to Flee Ukraine

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lWZ2HBMzfqY?feature=share

What is the funniest joke you’ve been told that you still think about to this day?

A young wife met her husband at the door when he came home from work, “Honey I tried getting something from the shelves in the garage, and everything fell over. Can you clean it up for me please? “ Husband just grunted and said “Who do I look like, Mr. Clean?” Two days later wife is at the door again. :Honey my car is smoking and making weird noises. Can you look at it please? Husband grunted ”Who do I look like, Mr. Goodwrench?” A few days later he is feeling guilty and comes home and announces. “ Hey honey I picked up everything needed to clean the garage and fix your car.” Wife said, Don’t bother it’s taken care of, the man next door did it for me.” Husband, ”Why would he do that?” Wife, I offered to bake him a cake or have sex.” Husband exclaimed. “What kind of cake did you make!’ Wife “ Who do I look like? BETTY CROCKER!

 

What are some problems that only boys face?

1. The problem of scratching your balls in public.
2. We can’t pleasure ourselves with everyday household items. For us, bananas are only meant to be eaten.
3. If a man walks behind a woman on the street, she may think he is following her.
4. You were probably told as a child that real men do not cry.
5. Men cannot tell their friends how attractive their siblings are, as women can.
6. It’s morning and you’ve got an awkward boner. You want to pee but you have to wait until the blood changes its route. (Men go to sleep with 206 bones, and when they wake up, they have 207)
7. The boy must apologize to the girl when their vehicles collide, no matter who is to blame for the accident.
8. It seems like we’re always being judged on how much money we make.
9. A man usually doesn’t get proposed to by a woman, but there are a few exceptions.
10. When you write an answer on Quora and don’t receive the same amount of views, upvotes, and comments as someone of the opposite gender, it’s easy to feel devalued.

Men Use AI To Put Clothes Back On Women! And Women ARE MAD AF

https://youtu.be/bMg8d5omkqg