Today, I want to talk a little bit about my vacation to Kuala Lumpur.
First off… I needed it. We all need to shake up our life, regardless of the cost. And so to keep costs down, we spent a month on vacation. It’s counter intuitive, but the trip for one month was cheaper than one rush week during peak travel times.
Yeah. We went budget.
So we arrived, and did the tourist stuff, and then settled down trying to get some insight into local life adaptation.
Made some local friends. In fact, we could have been driven around and been shown everything local if we wanted to. But actually we just wanted to be by ourselves.
Great city. Friendly people.
Super convenient public transportation.
But guys… way, WAY too great a Western influence. Many foods were “Americanized”. Too much in terms of thick sugars and corn syrups. Food was pricey, and greasy. Everything was fried, sweet, and greasy. Heavy influence on Indian cuisine. Local food was good, but strange to my palate.
I got an egg and toast with coffee. They gave me this…
I’m fine with trying new things, but I wasn’t expecting such a change fro something so simple as eggs and toast.
I was expecting something like this…
And that is why we travel.
To see things in a new light. Where we appreciate the things that we have taken for granted over the years, and appreciate the new things in life.
All illustrated for you all to relish in my tales of breakfast eggs.
Today…
Have you ever been simultaneously complimented and insulted? What happened?
It wasn’t me, but it was a lady in our hotel.
I was staying at an up scale resort, and we shared a concierge/butler with 2 other rooms. Every time I went to talk to the concierge, there was this lady a couple of years older than me ( which means old) complaining to the concierge. She had a very annoying high pitched nasal voice that carried well. I suspect she was lonely and just wanted talk to someone, but she never seemed to ask for a service, she just wanted to complain about how bad service had been.
I had a hard time finding time to talk to the concierge about all of our options, as well as book our meal reservations and day trips. If I knew exactly what I wanted, I would just phone, and give him an excuse to tell her he had to take a call.
We had been there a week and time was running out, and I needed to talk to him. So I went out, and sat in an extra chair behind her as she ranted. She was saying that she wasn’t asking for much, just some decent service, and a better attitude from the workers.
The concierge had indicated to her, that someone else needed assistance, and she ignored him, I pulled my chair a little closer. She turned around and said “Do you mind” I said” not at all “ and just sat there.
Eventually she took the hint. With a reminder that she needed better service.
The concierge said, “I hope you get everything you deserve.”
She did a double take, and went off never being sure if he was being rude or kind
Baked Garlic Soup
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups diced fresh tomatoes
- 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, undrained
- 4 or 5 summer squash, sliced
- 2 large onions, sliced
- 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
- Dry white wine
- 4 or 5 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/4 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 cup grated Romano cheese
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream or whipping cream
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Generously butter a 3-quart baking dish.
- Combine all ingredients, except cheese and cream, in baking dish. Cover and bake for 1 hour.
- Stir in cheeses and cream. Lower heat to 325 degrees F, and bake 10 to 15 minutes longer. Do not allow to boil.
What happens if a cop pulls over a drill sergeant?
I pulled over a van not far from Ft Benning Ga, the driver said he was a DI. I know he was a Sgt. He had a very arrogant attitude and I told him to stow, and he told me that if he’d had a bad attitude I would have already seen it – implying that he might have attacked me. I issued the good Sgt. a speeding citation and let him go on his way. Months went by and he neither paid the citation or appeared in court. Then one night I stopped a very nice Lt. Colonel. I mentioned to him that the Sgt had not resolved his situation and that at that point his license was suspended for failure to appear. The LTC asked if I had a copy of the citation, which I did, and he copied the Sgt’s info and said he felt he could see it resolved. The very next day I had a message waiting for me at my post station office. I returned the call and was quickly routed to Major someone in General someone’s office, as he was the Generals aide de camp. He explained that he had been briefed on the situation with the good Sgt, that it was being addressed immediately, and that (a different rank than Sgt) Rockford ( the former Sgt to whom I issued the citation) wished to speak with me. I recognized the voice on the line but the attitude was completely different as he apologized for his egregious conduct. After he handed the phone to the next speaker, a gentleman introduced himself as the General officer of the base, and he apologized for the former Sgt’s conduct and thanked me for bringing the matter to the LTCs attention, and that the Sgt was busted to a lower rank, was paying for the citation, and that he would present no further problem. A few days later the citation had been paid and never did I hear from him again.
What company(IES) could counteract China’s seemingly overpowering position in 5G technology?
Huawei is indeed the leader in 5G communications. Not seemingly, it is the real thing. It has the largest market share of 5G equipment, it builds about 70% of the 5G base stations worldwide, it is transiting to 5.5G, and progressing to 6G. It holds about 40% of the patents for 5G and 5.5G, and leads in 6G. Recently it won a 1 trillion euro suit against Netgear, a US company, for infringement of its Wifi-6G patent.
But why would you want to counteract it?
Huawei does not have a close-door policy. It sells its systems, devices, and apps, to whoever wants to buy, does presale studies and consultations, after-sales services, and even trains the staffs of the buyers. It is good for the world. This is why it is far ahead in the developing countries. They are seeing increasing benefits in their economies, in production and services, from Huawei’s 5G speed and versatility, devices, and apps.
Only the US has angst against Huawei, because it cannot tolerate it leadership in 5G communications, such an important core technology, and it has no means to infiltrate it. Other countries which ban it are forced to follow the US diktat, even though their spy agencies failed to find any backdoor or dangers of using it. They are all US allies and lackeys. Their economies suffer for it.
Look at what is happening with DeepSeek. US wants to dominate AI. DeepSeek spoilt it. It shows it can do more with less from efficiency and innovation. No need to follow the US way to spend billions. It is open-source. US is making all kinds of charges, launches all kinds of investigations, bans it from administration agencies, and banning more AI exports to China, and so on. Meanwhile the world is delighted. This time even Europe is delighted.
Huawei does not have the US idea of dominance. It is a commercial company and does business openly. This is why it is entrusted with building practically the entire connectivity of a whole new city in Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.
Cars in China vs America: 5 SHOCKING Differences You Never Expected!
GAIA OS 2.88.13v
Submitted into Contest #210 in response to: Write a story that includes someone saying, “We’re not alone.”… view prompt
Muthukumarasamy Vinodh
“God damn it, not her again,” Gavin mumbled to himself, taking a deep breath before responding to the call.
“Hi, Linda! How are you doing?”
“It’s Lieutenant Linda to you, Gavin.”
“Of course, Lieutenant Linda, it rhymes,” Gavin joked, a failed attempt at lightening the mood.
Linda responded only with an awkward silence that, for the first time in his life, complete silence was too loud for Gavin.
“Hmph,” Gavin cleared his throat, shattering the silence, “So! How can I help you, Lieutenant Linda?”
“Not me, Gavin. How about society? I was just reviewing your work logs, and it appears you haven’t responded to any crimes in your vicinity for the past two weeks.”
“Well, what can I say, ma’am? The streets are cleaner than ever. I can’t seem to find a single lawbreaker out there nowadays.”
“Hold on to that thought, Gavin,” Linda interjected.
“According to your logs, you haven’t even logged into the CrimesNOW application.”
“Come on now, ma’am, you know I don’t trust these newfangled technologies. They’re buggy and annoying.”
“You’re buggy and annoying,” Linda muttered under her breath.
“What was that, ma’am?”
“Just follow the protocols, Gavin. We no longer dispatch crimes through the radio. All crime reports are now sent through the CrimesNOW application.”
“Alright, fine, but I’m telling you, I’m 40 years old, ma’am. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”
“No, Gavin. In the force, we don’t teach old dogs new tricks; we put them down.” With that, Linda ended the call.
“What a bitch,” Gavin grumbled.
He parked the patrol car to the side and grabbed the tablet from the dashboard. The device had auto-updated, introducing a new app on the home screen after the update.
“CrimesNOW. What a stupid name,” Gavin smirked. Reluctantly, he logged in with his credentials. After some fumbling, he noticed a button labeled ‘Respond.’
“I mean people call during emergencies, imagine a robbery, you press 911 and call for help, you don’t open your app and log a crime, that’s retarded, I bet there isn’t going to be any crimes, this whole app is a stupid idea”
-318 CRIMES HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN THE LAST HOUR. PLEASE SELECT ONE TO RESPOND-
Gavin rolled his eyes, scanning through the list of crimes displayed on the screen.
Report: “Armed Robbery”
Location: “7-Eleven”
“I’m too old for action.” He swiped left.
Report: “Fight in Progress”
Location: “Sassy Sasquatch”
“Wait, isn’t that the gay bar? They probably just wrestling” Another swipe left.
Report: “Domestic Violence”
Location: “Apartment 265”
“It’s rude to interfere in other people’s problems.” And another swipe left.
He swiped left on most of the crimes until one particular entry got his attention.
Report: “UFO Sighting”
Location: “Oralando’s Ranch”
“Bingo.”
Gavin tapped the ‘Respond’ button and the tablet screen switched to a GPS mode, plotting the route from Gavin’s location to the ranch.
It was almost dawn when Gavin steered left and parked his car beside the ranch entrance. A crowd had gathered near the barnyard, the ranch animals were acting agitated, and the head of the ranch, Mr. Orlando, was munching on his thick mustache as he watched Gavin exit the car.
Gavin grabbed his megaphone from the car’s trunk and approached the crowd.
“Alright, everybody, the man in blue is here. Calm down now. So, did any of y’all manage to get a really low-quality image of the UFO?”
Mr. Orlando stared at Gavin’s sarcastic remark.
“Ermm, that won’t be necessary, Officer. The UFO is parked in the barn shed.”
Gavin stood there with confusion written on his face.
“Sorry, come again?”
“It’s in there, Officer.”
Gavin craned his neck over Orlando’s shoulder and looked at the barn. A strange light was emitting from the small gap in the large doors.
“You’re sure it was a UFO? Saucer-shaped and all?”
“Yes officer, it’s smaller than I expected, but shiny as my old man’s bald head. Well, what are you waiting for? Go on in. Hope you called in for backup, I heard them Alien folks like to probe their victims, you know, Anally?”
“Yes I know what probe means, and it’s okay, probably some jerk playing pranks, I’ll go in alone, nothing dangerous…I hope.”
Gavin slowly approached the barn doors, he pushed open the left door of the barn with his body gently, while peeking inside for any dangers.
In the center of the barn, a spaceship that nearly hit the ceiling was parked. The windows were tinted. Gavin couldn’t see anything inside, except for strange lights flickering at intervals.
Gavin slowly advanced towards the ship. It was solid from start to end, with no sign of doors or openings, just a highly reflective silver metal surface. The reflections of the surroundings were so crisp that the ship could almost camouflage itself in plain sight.
“Whoever—or whatever—is inside, step out from the vehicle or ship with your hands in the air. You’re trespassing on this farm, and on Earth.”
Gavin aimed his pistol at the center of the ship.
“Quiet type I see, well, I’m going to count to three. If no one says something or comes out, I’m going to shoot, 1…2…2.25…2.5…2.6..ah, what the hell.”
Gavin fired a warning shot.
Before even the bullet could hit the ship, it vaporized into thin air. Gavin was stumped. He looked around him, picked up a metal nut from the floor, and tossed it toward the ship.
Just as before, as the metal nut was about to hit the ship, it vaporized, Gavin realized the ship had some sort of invisible barrier around it, like in the old UFO movies he had seen.
Suddenly, smoke started pouring from the belly of the ship. Gavin stared at the ground beneath the ship as the smoke began to surround him. Small drones began to emerge from the smoke, scanning the environment.
Gavin kept his gun pointed from one drone to another, ready to shoot, but they posed no threat. One of the drones glided up to Gavin, scanning him from head to toe.
-SCANNING COMPLETED, NO HOSTILES DETECTED, ATMOSPHERE LEVEL STABILIZED FOR SAFE EXIT-
Without any doors, two entities simply phased through the sides of the ship. They had elongated limbs and stretched-out necks. One of them wore a blue robe, while the other wore a red robe.
“Woah, Christ on a cheesecake! Stay where you are, and lift whatever you have in the air before I shoot you!” Gavin trembled as he pointed his gun at the two figures.
One of the entities, the one in the blue robe, began emitting some distorted sounds through the mask, but it slowly got clearer.
“Kan jy my verstaan?”
“What?”
“किं त्वं मां अवगन्तुं शक्नोषि?”
“What the hell are you saying?”
“现在怎么样？你能听到我吗？”
“That’s Mandarin, I heard it before from Mr. Cheng’s noodle shop in Chinatown. I DONT A SPEAKU ENGLISHU, CAN YOU A SPEAK A ENGLISHU?”
The entity in the red robe interjected, continued in Mandarin to the other entity,
“他说的是英语，也许他是白人？”
The blue entity started changing the frequency on its mask like a radio.
“zzrrzzz, Can you understand me now?”
“Finally! What the hell are you, what’s going on? Are you aliens?”
The entity in the red robe started adjusting its mask as well, and a feminine voice spoke from the mask.
“Erm hi, can you understand me too?”
“Why do you sound like a chick when you look like a disfigured giraffe? And take those masks off!”
“Sorry, we are visiting Gaia after millions of years. Our organs are not yet ready to be exposed to the atmosphere. Removing the masks might endanger our lives.”
The entity in the blue robe moved forward, “We are not aliens. You don’t call the manufacturers of that pistol you’re holding aliens, do you?”
“Manufacturers? Say one more stupid shit like that, and I’ll blow your head off!”
“Allow me to introduce ourselves. My name is Mary Athena, and this is my colleague, Mr. Zeus Christopher. To you, we may appear as aliens due to our unfamiliar appearance and our origins from outer space. However, rest assured, we are not aliens but the creators of the planet you inhabit, Gaia, which you might know as Earth.”
Gavin stared at them with an expression of profound confusion.
“I warned you!”
Gavin fired a shot toward Mary. However, his jaw dropped when the bullet simply phased through Mary and hit the barn wall.
“I apologize if I have angered you, but your material weapons cannot affect us. We do not share the same physical properties as you.”
Gavin dropped his gun. It was high time he aligned himself with reality and began to believe in the events unfolding before his eyes.
“I am raised as a God-fearing catholic. The only creator of this universe I know of is God!”
Zeus Christopher bowed in acknowledgment.
“I’m glad you consider us to be such powerful beings. Is that what you call us, Gods?”
“GOD! Not gods. And I meant the actual God, the Almighty, the father of Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”
“Jesus Christ?”
Mary leaned over Zeus’ shoulder and whispered something.
“Oh! You mean Yeshua. Yes, we sent him down for maintenance.”
“First of all, the Jews call him Yeshua, we call him Jesus Christ, So, what in the name of Christ do you mean by maintenance?!”
“It’s the same differences, Mr…?”
“Gavin. Gavin Thomas.”
“Mr. Thomas, Yesh…I mean, Jesus Christ wasn’t the only engineer we sent, there is also Moses, Ahmed, and Krishna. Now and then, we send them out to deliver the appropriate training data sets to humans so that they stick to the development cycle. I mean, you know how artificial intelligence can be; they often tend to go rogue.”
“Sorry, we are what now?”
Zeus drew out a wand from his robe and waved it in the air. A small translucent screen appeared in front of Gavin.
“Please give it a while. It’s booting up.”
-BOOTING OPERATING SYSTEM: GAIA…VERSION 2.88.13-
Zeus positioned his face near the screen.
-FACE RECOGNIZED. HELLO, MR. ZEUS. WELCOME TO GAIA. I AM ODIN. HOW MAY I ASSIST YOU? –
“Odin?” Gavin stuttered.
“Oh, that’s just our AI Assistant, Omniscient Data Intelligence Network (ODIN). He knows everything about the universe. Odin, could you please extract information on humans?”
-CERTAINLY, MR. ZEUS –
The screen began to cycle through images of humans, from the medieval period to modern history, and then the current dystopian era.
-ANALYSIS COMPLETE, MR. ZEUS. THE FULL REPORT IS READY FOR REVIEW. –
“Athena, please read the analysis to me,” Zeus requested, handing the screen over to Athena.
Athena shrank the screen to palm-size and began reading from it.
“The analysis report spans from our last engineer’s visit in 570 Common Era (CE) to 2048 A.E.M.”
“A.E.M?” Zeus looked at Gavin.
“After Elon Musk. Earth was kind of a mess when Elon Musk was elected president in 2030, so we kind of reset the period by adding A.E.M to our dates to move on from him.”
“Very well, Let’s see how humans have progressed throughout the years.”
As Mary began reading the report, her eyes widened.
“Oh my, humans have been rather destructive for the past few centuries, Sir.”
“How is that possible? All the training sets that our engineers used were intended to promote peace.”
“I think they misinterpreted the data sets on their own, sir. Each Human AI developed its own violent tendencies, what they refer to as ‘Mood Swings’. For instance, an AI that was designed to be an artist turned into a warmonger and almost wiped out an entire race.”
“Do you mean Hitler?”
“The name doesn’t matter, Mr. Gavin. Moving on, another AI, known as Alice, dropped an atomic bomb that devastated the home of another AI called Japan.”
“Okay, it’s not Alice, it’s Allies, and it’s not one person, it’s a coalition of countries. And hey, things ended well for Japan anyway. They are at the top in electronics manufacturing and are the proud creators of thousands of Hentai entertainments, which are legal in 37 countries.”
“Again, that’s not relevant, Mr. Gavin. The actions of humans have deviated from the path we had planned for them. This is not the intended use case for this project.”
“Sorry, but what exactly is the use case?”
Mary projected a 3D simulation of the Universe.
“We are not alone in this universe, Mr. Gavin. We believe there are other advanced lifeforms like us out there. Our ultimate purpose is to create synthetic, intelligent AI life forms: an army of AIs to assist us in exploring the vast universe, finding these other life forms, and thriving in this harmonious bond. So, we sought to train our AIs in a way that they can also thrive in unity. Of all our creations, three life forms have shown signs of early trainable intelligence: Homo sapiens, dolphins, and ants.”
“Wait, ants are as smart as humans?”
“Have you ever observed them building a bridge using teamwork to cross a river? It’s incredible. Yet, we picked humans. However, according to these reports, we were mistaken. Humans are not as intelligent lifeforms when compared to dolphins or ants.”
“Hey! Dolphins jump through hoops for fish. We don’t.”
“Really?” Mary glanced through the report, “It says humans work 12 hours a day performing various hard labor in return for this paper currency known as money. How different is that from a dolphin, Mr. Gavin Thomas?”
“Point. So, what now? you just going to abandon us and focus on dolphins now?”
“No, Mr. Gavin. Primates show promising signs of trainable intelligence, so we’re sticking with primates, just not humans.
Perhaps chimpanzees, since dolphins are limited to aquatic biomes.”
“Mary is right. Maybe in the next beta test with the chimpanzees, we should eliminate the elements of finance and religion entirely. After all, we had hoped that the concepts of religion and trade would promote unity, but apparently, they do not.”
“So, what’s going to happen to us now?”
“As much as we’d like to leave humans on Earth, given your records, Earth has undergone severe damage since the beginning of human civilization. Multiple Earth AI species have gone extinct due to humans. Sir, I think it’s best we scrap the human prototypes from GAIA.”
“WHAT! No wait, hold on. There’s no need to be hasty about this. I mean, we have done other great things too. Have you seen the artworks of Picasso, the music by Beyonce, or the great scientists like Oppenheimer? Well, maybe not him, but my point is we have achieved great things.”
“Sorry, Mr. Gavin. We don’t measure the IQ of a species individually, but rather collectively. That’s precisely why ants are ranked alongside humans.”
“Please, Mr. Zeus, I implore you to stop this crazy bitch from destroying humans, You know females are, they are quick to jump to conclusions,”
“Mr.Gavin Mary Athena only took the voice of a female to be more comforting. Unlike humans, we don’t identify ourselves as any of the…”
Zeus examined the report on the screen,
“89 identified genders that exist on Earth Mr.Gavin. We are genderless. And Athena isn’t being crazy, If we were to train the Chimpanzees, it will be tough for them to coexist along with such violent species like humans.”
“Oh please, Have you watched Planet of the Apes, we can coexist together, please give us a chance”
Mary and Zeus exchanged concerned looks, but Mary shook her head.
“We will think about it, Mr. Gavin. We’ll let the board decide.”
Zeus waved his wand again. All the drones that were examining the barn withdrew back into the ship.
“I bid you farewell, Mr. Gavin.”
Zeus bowed again, followed by Mary, as they phased back into the ship.
Gavin stood there for a while, digesting the fact that the humans were about to be scrapped. As the ship began to emit smoke again and started becoming invisible, the barn doors swung open wide again on their own.
“Wait… Wait!” Gavin screamed as he watched the ship vanish into thin air. He could hear the engine passing by, but he couldn’t see anything.
He ran toward the barn entrance only to see the local folks gathering around the barn with Mr. Orlando in the middle.
“What happened, officer? You were in there for quite a while. Did you see the aliens?”
Gavin stared at Orlando, his lips parting slightly as if to speak, but no words emerged. He let his gun drop to the ground and began walking towards his car, Orlando and the crowd trailing behind.
“Officer, wait! Where are you going? Tell us what happened.”
Gavin’s voice was barely audible as he murmured, “It’s classified,” and continued walking.
Orlando turned to the woman beside him, smirking, “Maybe the man in blue got anal probed.”
Reaching his car, Gavin grabbed the tablet from the dashboard, swiped open the CrimesNow app, tapped on ‘submit report’, and began to type out his account of the incident he had just experienced:
-“We’re screwed.”-
What do you make of US Commerce Department looking into whether China-based DeepSeek has been using US chips that are not allowed to be shipped to China?
On the one hand, American cowards say that China does not buy American products, causing the U.S.-China deficit to exceed one trillion US dollars in 2024. On the other hand, they restrict China from buying American products.
American cowards are like a ninety-year-old man who is about to die. His mind is full of hallucinations of being persecuted. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, he fantasizes about the collapse of China. Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, he slanders China and threatens the whole world. Even garlic threatens the national security of the United States. , the entire United States is a loose alliance of cowards and the Hengguo Party. A piece of garlic scares the United States into breaking its collective defenses.
It’s hopeless. The United States was once the idol that the Chinese people have been chasing for decades. Now, they are immersed in the paranoia of persecution all day long.
CHINESE KINDERGARTEN BREAKIING THE WORLD’S EDUCATION RECORD| REDNOTE DISCOVERY| CHINESE EXCELLENCE
Shorpy
What oil price level would force Russia to significantly reduce its military spending?
Russia pays between 1900 to 2200 Rubles to extract one Barrel of Oil which costs nearly 3600 Rubles by the time it is ready for transport
This is around $ 35.16
This is the break even price for Russia
Presently Russia receives 5750 Rubles per Barrel from China (407 RMB per Barrel) and € 64.96 per Barrel from India
Additionally Russia also receives an average of € 78.90 per Barrel from the EU who buys from India
So Russia makes a lot of profits selling Oil today
To ensure Russias Oil Profits start dropping, Price of Crude must fall to below $ 55.73 per barrel which is what China is paying Russia
To reduce a lot, Crude must go to $ 45 or less per barrel
Unfortunately at this Price, the Americans will lose more money
Americans pay $ 27.50 on an average for a barrel of Oil (West Texas) to $ 36.50 for Shale Oil
So US Oil companies will need at least $ 47 a barrel to break even
So Price cuts of Crude to hurt Russia will hurt the US even more
Sir Whiskerton and the Circles of Circumlocution
Ah, dear reader, prepare yourself for a tale of dizzying circles, mischievous gnomes, and one very confused farmer. When Echo the Kitten starts following Pistachio the Ostrich in endless loops around Bartholomew the Piñata, chaos ensues. Add Gnomeo the Wandering Gnome into the mix, and you’ve got a recipe for a farmyard fiasco that only Sir Whiskerton and his pals can untangle. So, grab your sense of humor and prepare for a story filled with puns, peculiarities, and a moral that will leave you smiling like a cat who’s just discovered a sunbeam.
The Endless Circles Begin
It all started on a sunny morning when Echo the Kitten, ever the curious little shadow, decided to follow Pistachio the Ostrich. Pistachio, known for her absent-minded wandering, was pacing in circles around Bartholomew the Piñata, muttering to herself.
“This farm is so big,” Pistachio said, her long neck bobbing as she walked. “I never seem to get anywhere!”
Echo, delighted by the repetitive motion, trotted after her, mimicking her every step. “Get anywhere! Get anywhere!” she chirped, her tiny paws pattering in perfect sync with Pistachio’s larger strides.
Soon, the two were locked in an endless loop, circling Bartholomew like a pair of feathered and furry satellites. The farmer, passing by with a bucket of feed, stopped to watch.
“What in tarnation…?” the farmer muttered, scratching his head. He tried to follow their movements with his eyes but quickly grew dizzy. “Whoa, nelly!” he exclaimed, stumbling backward and dropping the bucket. “I need to sit down.”
Gnomeo’s Mischief
Just as the farmer was recovering from his dizziness, Gnomeo the Wandering Gnome appeared, his pointy hat tilted at a mischievous angle. Gnomeo, known for his love of pranks, saw the circling duo and grinned.
“Ah, what a perfect opportunity for some fun!” Gnomeo said, rubbing his tiny hands together. He pulled out a bag of glitter and sprinkled it in the path of Pistachio and Echo. As they walked through it, their feathers and fur sparkled like a disco ball.
“Ooh, shiny!” Echo said, pausing to admire herself. “Shiny! Shiny!”
Pistachio, however, was less impressed. “What is this? Am I… glowing? Oh dear, I hope I haven’t turned into a firework!”
Gnomeo cackled and moved on to his next trick. He tied a string of bells to Bartholomew the Piñata, so every time Pistachio and Echo passed by, the piñata jingled loudly.
“Jingle-jangle! Jingle-jangle!” Echo repeated, her tiny voice blending with the bells.
The farmer, now thoroughly confused, tried to intervene. “Alright, that’s enough! Stop this nonsense!” But as he stepped forward, he tripped over Gnomeo’s outstretched foot and landed in a pile of hay.
Sir Whiskerton Steps In
Sir Whiskerton, observing the chaos from his perch on the barn roof, sighed dramatically. “It seems I must once again save the day,” he said, leaping down with the grace of a feline superhero. “Ditto! Porkchop! Rufus! To me!”
Ditto the Kitten, ever the eager apprentice, bounded over. “To me! To me!” he echoed.
Porkchop the Pig waddled up, munching on a carrot. “What’s the plan, Whiskerton? Are we breaking up a dance party?”
Sir Whiskerton rolled his eyes. “No, Porkchop. We’re putting an end to this ridiculous circling before the farmer loses his mind—or his lunch.”
The Plan Unfolds
Sir Whiskerton devised a simple yet effective plan. Rufus the Dog would distract Pistachio with a squeaky toy, while Porkchop would lure Echo with a trail of cat treats. Ditto, of course, would follow Sir Whiskerton’s every move, echoing his instructions.
“Alright, team,” Sir Whiskerton said. “Let’s break this loop!”
Rufus dashed in front of Pistachio, squeaking the toy furiously. “Hey, Pistachio! Look what I’ve got!”
Pistachio stopped mid-step, her head tilting. “A squeaky toy? For me? How delightful!” She abandoned her circling to chase after Rufus.
Meanwhile, Porkchop laid out a trail of treats, leading Echo away from Bartholomew. “Come on, little one,” Porkchop said. “Follow the treats!”
Echo, unable to resist, trotted after the treats, her tiny nose twitching. “Follow the treats! Follow the treats!”
With the circling duo finally stopped, Sir Whiskerton turned his attention to Gnomeo. “Alright, Gnomeo,” he said, his tail flicking. “Your mischief ends here.”
Gnomeo, realizing he was outnumbered, held up his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright! I was just having a bit of fun. No harm done, right?”
“No harm done?” Sir Whiskerton said, raising an eyebrow. “Tell that to the farmer.”
The Moral of the Story
As the dust settled, Sir Whiskerton addressed the gathered animals. “Today’s chaos teaches us an important lesson: sometimes, we get so caught up in our own little loops—whether it’s wandering in circles or causing mischief—that we forget to look at the bigger picture. Life is about balance, not endless repetition.”
The animals nodded, their heads bobbing in agreement. Even Gnomeo looked thoughtful. “I suppose I could tone down the pranks,” he admitted. “But only a little!”
A Happy Ending
With order restored, the farmer thanked Sir Whiskerton and his team. “I don’t know what I’d do without you, Whiskerton,” he said, patting the cat on the head.
Sir Whiskerton smirked. “Neither do I, farmer. Neither do I.”
As for Echo and Pistachio, they found a new activity: napping in the sun. And Bartholomew the Piñata? He remained in the barnyard, silently watching over the farm, as enigmatic as ever.
The End.
🇲🇾 Must See & Eat in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 🍛🍖 Why Celebs Like Dua Lipa & Awkwafina LOVE KL
Cabbage and Cheese Soup
This Cabbage and Cheese Soup was created by Chef Roberto Donna.
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound savoy cabbage
- 1 quart beef stock
- 2 mild Italian sausages (1/2 pound)
- 8 ounces aged Cheddar cheese
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 6 slices country bread (about 1/2 inch thick), cut in half
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C).
- Clean and wash the cabbage leaves. Cook in boiling water 5 minutes or until limp. Drain well and julienne the leaves. Set aside.
- In a 2 quart saucepan, bring the beef stock to a boil with the sausages. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until thoroughly cooked. Remove from the stock and cut into thin slices. Set aside.
- Cut the Cheddar cheese into thin slices. Set aside.
- Melt the butter over low heat.
- In an ovenproof casserole (preferably terracotta), arrange 3 of the bread slices. Layer with the cabbage, sausage, cheese, and remaining bread. Drizzle the top layer of the bread with melted butter. Gently pour the boiled stock over the top.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, until the top bread layer is crisp and the soup is thoroughly heated.
- Spoon into soup bowls. Season to taste.
Aromatic Crispy Duck – A Brief History
香酥鸭 , 简史 xiāng sū yā , jiǎn shǐ
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History of Aromatic Crispy Duck
A classic dish of British-Chinese cuisine, based on the traditional and iconic Chinese dish 北京烤鸭 Běijīng kǎoyā or “Běijīng Roast Duck”
Běijīng Roast Duck is a high-end and high-status dish that was once the preserve of Emperors, and is now served in some of the finest restaurants in China
It requires extreme care and dedication to prepare over many days as it requires various repeated steps of, air-drying, marinating and finally slow roasting in specialist ovens to prepare these succulent ducks with a crisp skin
Běijīng Roast Duck being hand-carved by the chef at 全聚德 Quánjùdé , a duck restaurant in Běijīng
Aromatic Crispy Duck or 香酥鸭 xiāng sū yā was invented by the Chinese immigrant community in London’s Chinatown in the early 20thC
Chinese restaurant owners needed an affordable way to serve a dish that had the taste and impact of Běijīng Roast Duck or 北京烤鸭 Běijīng kǎoyā without the need for days and days of preparation, marinating, air-drying, and specialist roasting ovens
Běijīng Roast Duck being hung and air-dried
The solution was a central processing factory which would prepare ducks for the restaurant industry by first marinating them in Chinese spices, and slowly steam cooking them until soft and tender
These pre-steamed ducks were then delivered around the London restaurants, who rather than roast the ducks in the oven, would deep-fry each duck to order, to emulate that iconic crispy texture of Běijīng Roast Duck
An example of deep-fried Aromatic Crispy Duck
This marinated, steamed and deep-fried duck became known as Aromatic Crispy Duck or 香酥鸭 xiāng sū yā and became a beloved and popular dish on British-Chinese restaurant menus
The dish became so popular that it crossed borders and oceans, gracing Chinese restaurant menus as far afield as the USA, Canada and Australia
This small group of entrepreneurial restaurant owners in London’s Chinatown managed to influence Chinese cuisine around the world, introducing millions of people around the world to an affordable and easy to prepare version of Běijīng-style duck that could be made by small-scale family-run restaurants
Gerrard St, Chinatown, London c.1970
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Half Aromatic Crispy Duck
Served on the bone with traditional accompaniments:
- 春饼 chūn bǐng or Spring Pancakes
- 甜面酱 tiánmiànjiàng or Sweet Bean/Flour Sauce
- 韭菜 jiǔ cài or Chives
- 黄瓜 huáng guā or Cucumber
As a black person, when did you realize that not all black people are your allies and not all white people your enemies?
My early life was spent in the Jim Crow south where I was called N… Boy so much I thought that was my name. My mother had graduated high school (separate but equal), but my dad had to drop out of middle school to help with the farm. During the time in the south, we were taught not to trust and dislike white people, which was easy to understand after seeing the way we were treated when we went into town(separate bathrooms, water fountains, not being able to stand up to a white person, I think you get the point). When I was ten years old, tragedy struck. My uncle was murdered by the KKK, and our farm was lost due to a bank loan with a DOD (due on demand) clause. Now I must state that in the justice system in the Jim Crow south, no matter what evidence you had, a white person’s word was law, so there was no way to get the farm back.
After that in the mid sixties we relocate to southeastern Michigan in 1966, this was a dangerous time as the civil rights movement was gaining steam. To me that was a culture shock, moving from a small farm to a big city. Since I was eight years old, I was used to getting up at dawn to help work on the farm, coming back to the house for breakfast, off to school then coming home working the farm some more. After that was my time, I would play in the fields, go swimming in the pond and play with friends who lived about a quarter to half a mile (houses were that far apart) away.
In the city we moved to, we were on the edge of the segregated part of the city. The houses were so close together, I would guess the lots were 50 x 100, there were no fields, parks and the only playground was at the school. Some of the other black kids didn’t like me because of my dialect which led to me getting into a lot of fights. I won all the fights, a farm boy against city boys, I was much stronger. Well, one day three of the black kids decided to jump me we they saw me going to the store, I knew I was not going to win, but they were going to know that had been in a fight. I heard someone say, “hey three on one is not fair, so it’s going to be the three of you against the three of us” I was relieved because I recognized a drawl when I heard the voice. I looked and it was a white boy (I’ll call him Carl) and his sister (I’ll call her Mary). Well three black boys changed their mind and left. Carl asked me why the wanted to jump me like that and I told him because I talked funny, Carl stated, “yeah, we do, don’t we”? Carl and his family had moved north from the deep south also, so his dad could work in the auto plant. That was the first time in my life were my ass had been saved by someone white from my on kind. I still did not realize the significance of what had happened.
Now, even living in a major city, I still saw the racism that existed in the schools and everywhere else in daily life. I never even knew black policemen existed until I was fifteen when I saw a black policeman.
The next awakening happened when I went to college on an academic scholarship. I was helped by my guidance counselor (who was white) at school who was forced by the principal (who was also white). The guidance counselor had told me I should prepare myself for a factory job or some kind of trade school. Now I have a white person standing up for me against another white person.
While in college some of the us black students formed a group and made a vow to always help each other to succeed because in the early seventies, you still had outright racism, even at college. Well, one of the black guys in our group deliberately gave me some bad information (intent unknown), whereas a white student I didn’t even know asked me if I was going to take a certain class next semester and I said yes. He gave me all the test papers, quizzes and homework assignments for this class.
It was at this point that I began to realize that all white people were bad and all black people where my friend. I learned to look at the character of the person and not the color of their skin. Friends and enemies come in all colors, shapes and forms. Even with me realizing that currently, racism still exists, so civil rights are very important me. Without the help of white people, the civil rights movement would have not gotten as far as it has. With that said I realize that there are some who wish that we were still living in those days of the past. The next four years are really going to be scary because the powers to be are trying to turn the clock backwards.
As for Carl and Mary, we have remained the best of friends through the years. Carl and I were the Best Men at each other’s weddings. This is a friendship that has lasted over 55 years.
A taste of progress
Submitted into Contest #210 in response to: Write a story that includes someone saying, “We’re not alone.”… view prompt
Sean McDonnell
He belched, and with it came a collective cry for mercy. He shrugged. What was he to do about it? He had tried everything that he could think of, including but not limited to ingesting Ipecac, punching himself in the stomach, getting black-out drunk, eating ghost peppers, etc., etc. It only made him feel sick, and maybe some of them were vacated in the violent discharging of various bodily fluids, but these things were resilient.
On occasion, when he was feeling particularly sympathetic to their situation, he would hold a speaker up to his belly and play his favorite concerto. The chaos in his gut would calm, and he’d feel an overwhelming sense of belonging. In those moments, he felt unified with these things within him. He pictured them sitting beneath grand oak trees, sunbathing upon rooftops, enjoying wine during a sunset (was there a sun within his belly?), and sleeping; what did these things dream of?
Other times he would consider drinking the liquid plumber or throwing himself down the stairs. The coroner, the man thought, would certainly have a story to tell around a poker table after that autopsy.
“And when I cut the man’s stomach open,” the coroner would say, “there were a million dead beings. It was like Pompei; women and men huddled together moments before death, cities preserved by the copious amount of processed foods that this guy must have been consuming. I guess there are anthropological excuses for eating foods with preservatives. Right, fellas?”
Feeling rather dubious about his post-life experience, the man decided to see a doctor.
An expression of repressed doubt lingered on the doctor’s face long after the man had told him about them.
“What about the constant smell of exhaust?” he said to the doctor.
“We’ll know in about a week when the labs come back, but as far as I can tell, you are the picture of a healthy forty-year-old man,” said the doctor. He leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling. “When did you say that this started happening?”
“The feeling of—them?” said the man.
“Yes, that feeling.”
“Well, I think it’s been about three weeks now. It started as an unpleasant taste in my mouth then one morning I woke up to the sounds of hammering. The windows were shut—double-paned—and I don’t live above or below anyone. I’m in a single-family home. And this hammering wouldn’t stop.”
The doctor approached the man and looked into his ear with the otoscope.
“Can you follow my finger?—just your eyes. Thank you, very good,” said the doctor. “Can you lay down for me? Well, you are a little bloated.” The doctor pressed lightly on the man’s pelvis, then stopped suddenly. “Hmm, I do feel something here. It’s hard but seems to break up when I push on it.”
The man winced.
“I think you just killed some of them.”
“It may feel like things are living in your stomach, but that would be a first,” the doctor said with a wink. “Why don’t we do a quick ultrasound? We have the machine here, it shouldn’t take much time, and we’d be able to spot anything obvious. Sound ok to you?”
“I am willing to do and try anything. More than this feeling, it’s the thought that I’m responsible for these things. If I wanted that responsibility, I’d get a dog. Doctor, can I ask you a personal question?”
“Depends. Why don’t you ask it, and we’ll see if I can give you an answer?”
The doctor folded his arms and removed his glasses.
“Do you have children?”
“Yes, I have three kids, all in college now.”
“Do you like them?” The doctor raised an eyebrow. “What I mean is, do you ever wish you’d chosen the other path? The path where you ended up not having any kids.”
“It’s natural to think about what could have been, but I wouldn’t change a thing. I love my kids. You don’t have children, correct? Unless I’m missing that in my notes,” said the doctor.
“I’m only asking because, well, I wonder if this was a decision I made and not just a virus. It’s a little embarrassing, but I did something a few weeks ago that I’m not entirely proud of,” said the man.
“What did you do?”
“You know those silica packs that come with food sometimes to keep it fresh?”
The man said in a whisper. The doctor leaned in to better hear him.
“I accidentally cooked a pizza with one of those packs on top of it.”
“Did you eat the silica pack?” said the doctor.
“No, God no, I would probably be dead. Right? I took it off but was so hungry that I ate the pizza anyway.” The doctor smiled and patted the man’s knee.
“I don’t think that’s it. Let’s wait to see what the ultrasound shows.”
The room was cold, but the gel the nurse applied to the man’s chest was warm. He pushed back the feelings of arousal that began to nag him. He thought about the things inside his stomach; was he being selfish for wanting to cut them out? For wanting to poison them? Then he thought, maybe I don’t want that. Instead, perhaps I want to protect them, to support and nourish them.
He considered his life. A single man with no partner on the horizon, no unique abilities or hobbies—no ambition.
“This shouldn’t take long; we just need to grab a few images from—” the nurse stopped short. On the screen, there lived a breathing world; cities with high-rises, factories, rolling hills, and jutting mountains. The man beamed with joy. “I don’t understand.”
The nurse was dumbfounded.
“We’re not alone,” said the man, cradling his belly.
Woman takes a “BREAK” from Marriage and gets REPLACED Instantly.
Did Trump already lose the trade war with Canada and Mexico as he backed down on his 25% tariffs and why is Fox and others declaring his humiliation a victory?
Well, yes and no. When his irresponsible, wrong-headed, nonsensical trade war crashed the stock market, Trump backed down. So what though? He gave us a month. And now he’s whining because he’s too fucking stupid to understand the the sovereign nation of Canada has its own banking system. That’s likely going to be his excuse in 30 days when he attacks us again.
Fuck that though. The trust is gone. I’m not buying anything from the US. Not in the next 30 days, not in the forseeable future. They have nothing I need. I have been promoting other international trade with my elected representatives, making it clear that there are many advantages for Canada in being closer to the EU and further from the US.
We should have gone that route in the 1980s instead of entering into the FTA with the US anyway. Europe has better labour laws, better wages, better healthcare, better social programs, better environmental regulations, better education, and a higher standard of living overall than the US does. Instead we chose to tie ourselves to a failing giant just because they happened to live next door. Now, predictably, we have this fucking mess.
So fuck the USA. I’ve had more than enough of their crap.
What factors contribute to the belief that China has surpassed or is close to surpassing the U.S. in terms of power and influence globally? If not, what factors suggest otherwise?
US has hundreds of military bases around the world. It thinks itself the world’s strongest power. Trump swaggers, boasts, and threatens, such as the obnoxious clean out of Gaza, and his tariffs, and more tariffs, if his conditions are not met. He thinks US can tariff at will because it has a wonderful economy and the mighty dollar.
These are self-claimed. China couldn’t care less. It is certainly not intimidated. Nor is Russia, which withstood everything threw at it by US and NATO in Ukraine. Maybe not even Iran. Most countries take them as they come. None is shivering.
Columbia refused landing right to US military planes ferrying “illegal” immigrants. It demands prior notice to ascertain they are indeed Columbians, and are returned not accompanied by military personnel but by civilian officers, and without handcuffs in civilian planes.
US international influence has been on the wane and took a plunge, all on its own doing.
At the UN, It was thrashed in the anti-poverty, and anti-racialism bills, lost every attempt to condemn China with regard to Xinjiang and Hong Kong, failed to gain support for its sanctions of Russia vis Ukraine, and was universally condemned for its vetoes of the ceasefire resolutions in the UNSC. It lost is moral standing in its unlimited support of Israel.
Trump’s swagger hardly endears the US to the world.
In matters of economics, it has nothing to offer, only words, like freedom, human rights, democracy, rule-based order, all of them empty words, because US itself breaches them without a second thought. When it tried to offer something concrete like B3W and PGII, they died at birth. Instead of market access, it is into tariffs and tariffs.
China’s influence has risen and rising. It is peace-maker, such as the Saudi Arabia-Iran rapprochement. It may yet be called upon to play the significant role in the Russia-Ukraine peace process. It is the biggest supplier of Covid-19 vaccines to the developing countries. In Iraq, it is building schools on places bombed out by the US. In Afghanistan, it is building infrastructures, and help to plant crops to replace the poppy that US troops encouraged.
Its BRI project is the single largest factor in the industrial developments in the developing countries. BRI covers 150 countries. China is the only foreign country sincerely and willingly helping the development of Africa, through BRI and FOCAC. It is the only country to grant full tariff exemptions for all product lines from over 40 least developed countries, 33 of them from Africa. It is thick into the infrastructural and connectivity developments in Latin American countries, 19 out of 24 of them, are BRI members.
China in the centre and the driver of global economic growth, offering trade, investments, and market access. Its rise has raised all boats, especially the boats in the developing countries.