One of the things that I miss about Massachusetts is that you were not permitted to pump your own gasoline. Initially, I thought it was crazy and stupid as I had grown accustomed to using the self-serve pumps to get gas. It was my little way of saving money.
But over time, I learned that the saving was not as big as I thought it was, and the convenience was just too wonderful.
Then when I moved to China, again… it is the LAW. You cannot pump your own gas. That is the job of the gas station attendants.
Most of America has become like Pavlov’s Dog. Americans have grown accustomed to wearing the chains and shackles that confine them. They are proud of their prison bars, and can’t even conceive of living without them.
Todays…
As an over-the-road trucker, what are some unusual things you have witnessed?
I’ll skip over the stereotypical shit of being flashed and witnessing various sexual acts which did indeed occur. This had a far deeper meaning and one I still hold close to my heart.
It was a picture perfect day as I drove the two lane backroads through old-growth pine forests on my way to Crossett, Arkansas. Crossett is one of those, you can’t get there from here, kind of places. The only thing in Crossett was the paper mill I was picking up at, and the only people who lived in Crossett, worked there. There was only one way in, and one way out, and that was on that beautiful two lane backroad.
Tunes up, windows down, I saw a large animal bound across the road a few hundred feet ahead of me. What the…?
It wasn’t a deer. It had a long tail. A large dog? Nuh-uh. I never saw a dog run like that. This thing flowed across the road.
I slowed down to a stop where I thought I saw it had entered the woods. It had stopped to get a gander at me too. What I saw was remarkable and unmistakable. It was a large cat, as in cougar large. Once the cat was satisfied with what it saw, it went about its way.
When I got to the mill in Crossett, I asked the guy loading my truck if they had any large cats running around in the woods around there. His reaction was immediate. He stopped his forklift and immediately called to his coworkers,”Hey, this feller saw the cat!”. It was like I was an instant celebrity. Everybody wanted to know all the particulars, the who, what, and where’s of what I had seen. Apparently, that cat was something of legend. Years later I came to understand why.
What I had seen was an Eastern Cougar.
The Eastern Cougar was declared extinct in 2016. What I had seen was one of the last of its kind.
Introducing a new type of anti-China propaganda.
This is the “prelude to war” propaganda.
We first saw this in Ukraine. Where a large investment in manpower created fake “atrocities” by (supposed) Russians as a prelude to an invasion.
Normally, I would expect this type of nonsense around the 2026 time-frame. But it’s WAY early.
Notice the similarity between the two “different” sources…
Seriously, the USA would be madder than a hive of hornets if a US Aircraft carrier was sunk.
BIDEN REGIME TO OUTLAW GAS GENERATORS
World Hal Turner 19 July 2023
Just months after a Biden-appointed regulator teased a ban on gas stoves, the administration is working to enact a rule that would prohibit the manufacturing of nearly all portable gas GENERATORS for electricity on the U.S. market.
A proposed Consumer Product Safety Commission rule limits the amount of carbon monoxide a product can emit, with the commission admitting that 95 percent of portable gas generators on the market cannot comply with its new standard.
As a result, industry leaders say, the rule will prompt widespread generator shortages, as manufacturers only have six months to design generators that meet the proposed regulation. That process normally takes years, Portable Generator Manufacturers’ Association executive director Susan Orenga says.
The rule proposal comes just months after Biden-backed commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. teased a similar regulatory ban on gas stoves, which he called a “hidden hazard.”
It also comes as many Americans face an increased risk of power outages as the country increasingly relies on green energy to produce its electricity. A whopping two-thirds of North America faces an “elevated risk” of power blackouts this summer, a leading grid watchdog found in May, a vulnerability that stems from America’s increase in green power generation and decrease in fossil fuel power plants.
California, for example, saw power outages in the summer of 2022 as electricity demand surged.
Portable gas generators can help those who experience a power outage keep the lights on, and nearly five million households use them. Should the Biden administration finalize its rule, however, the generators could become difficult to obtain. The commission’s rule prohibits manufacturers from stockpiling non-compliant generators prior to the rule’s enactment.
But this prohibition on stockpiling gas generators does not apply to private citizens.
The US banned the chips & the chip manufacturing equipments to China in the name of national security. China counter attacked by banning Ge, Ga & their compounds in the national security too. Which one will hurt more & which one get benefits?
The United States’ abuse of the excuse of “national security” to interfere with normal trade in the chip industry will cause harm to both sides.
China is the world’s largest semiconductor market, and the sales of American chip companies in China cannot be replaced by Washington’s executive orders or some subsidies. Severely restricting exports to China in a near-crazy manner will create difficulties for the development of related industries in China, but at the same time, it will also harm American semiconductor companies. This practice of disrupting the stability of the global supply chain and industrial chain is truly detrimental to oneself.
On the other hand, China is the largest producer and exporter of gallium and germanium metal products globally. The Chinese side adopts refined management for the use of these materials, which has a positive significance in maintaining the stability of the global supply chain. As long as the relevant enterprises use them reasonably and manage them properly, there is no need to worry about usage restrictions, and it will not affect the development of related industries.
China has no intention to compete with the United States. However, in the face of the unreasonable suppression from the United States, it is necessary for China to take corresponding countermeasures. For the United States, more than half of the gallium and germanium it uses are imported from China. This fact reminds the US again that China plays an indispensable role in the global supply chain system. The economies of China and the United States are deeply integrated and closely connected. Any attempt to contain and suppress China will harm the global supply chain, destined to fail and backfire on itself.
The US’s suppression further strengthens China’s determination and pace in independently mastering cutting-edge technology. The gradual absence of American-made products will create development opportunities for domestic Chinese companies. With increasing investment in research and development and a vast domestic market, it is believed that China can make significant breakthroughs in the semiconductor field. However, whether the US can build its own dominant industrial supply chain in gallium and germanium products, and even replace China’s position in this field, remains a big question mark, especially considering the continued weakness of the US manufacturing industry.
Why is the airport privatization plan not good for India?
Changi Airport – Singapore
One of the Worlds Best and most Efficient Airports.
It is owned 43% by Private Operators, 44% by the Singapore Ports Authority and 13% by the Singapore Air Force
JFK Airport New York – Owned entirely by the Taxpayers of New York City
The same as 89% of all Airports in the United States of America (Except Private Airfields).
Why is this so? Why is it that these Capitalist Countries dont allow 100% Privatization of Airports?
The Answer is
Unreasonable Pricing
This is the Kempegowda International Airport. 74% of this is owned by Private Investors.
Whenever Private Parties invest money – their first priority is to recover their investments and this they want to do in the fastest possible time.
The result is Absurd Prices for everything. Parking is 400–500% costlier than any other parking in the city, Food is 250–300% costlier despite the quality being same or in many cases much lower (Based on reviews)
Vijay Mallya attested that the Docking Fees for Domestic Aircraft is 250% higher than what London or New York charges in equivalent currency ratio.
Rents are Atrociously high and it is nearly impossible to make a profit. ATM Vestibules used to be imposed with a massive rent until Govt Interfered by mandating at least 3 PSU ATMS at low cost. Foreign Banks have to pay more than 200% the price.
In the City of New York – a Sandwich at a concession stand in the Airport costs around 45% higher. In Bangalore it is at least 200% higher.
This means the Airport becomes an inefficient business model. Ticket prices have to increase to account for higher docking and parking fees and hangar fees etc.
Strategic Advantages
An Airport is a target for Hijackers or Terrorists (Bandaranaike for example).
Control over an Airport would be better if Govt retained at least 51% control. Private Players may play down security issues even though CISF handles security. The Private Players staff are not permanent employees and may be tempted to compromise security for a fat sum of money which government employees with permanent jobs are less likely to do so.
Besides Govt employees will have records and a thorough vetting compared to over 100–150 private airport staff.
Though 911 happened in US – it was because the Staff were privately hired contract employees who did the examination. Today they are all DHS people and are alert at the slightest sign of trouble.
Investment Opportunity
An Airport should be a source of Pride to a City and a State. The only way this is done is if – The Airport belongs to everyone. In US they float – MUNICIPAL BONDS which means – the City borrows money from its people by floating issues of Bonds and getting the money to build the airport.
This results in the people of the city owning and feeling pride in their airport.
In India – this should be done. The people of India should feel a pride towards their airports and it is also the most transparent way to finance an airport in its entirety.
It brings capital and also a link between the people and their airports. It also gives a longer period of repayment of the bonds which eventually mean fairer prices.
Land Value Manipulations
In countries like Singapore or USA or even China – the Land on which Airports are built or will be built is leased for 99 or 999 years (Singapore/China) or purchased at fixed prices.
In India – there is a horrible Price Manipulation. This means the Politicians in order to make a quick killing on the real estate will hold up deals and ensure that the Private Player pays at least 500% higher prices for the Land (sometimes as high as 10000%) than the Land is worth and there is no leasing of land.
Simple example – the Bangalore Airport. The Airport is in a place called Devanahalli where Agricultural land in 2005 was Rs. 32000/- per Kunta (40 Kuntas is 1 Acre) but the sale price was a whopping Rs. 1.10 Crore per Acre or Rs. 2.750 Lakhs per Kunta after conversion of the land. This means that the Land value was artificially inflated to a whopping 9 times (900%) simply by some conversion related play.
During such time – most of the land was acquired by Benamis in the name of powerful politicians whose names are known to kannada people and they made huge massive profits.
The result – Higher cost and Higher Prices
Had it been govt of India – they would have purchased the land at market price of Rs. 32000/- per Kunta or even the Govt Price of Rs. 8000/- per Kunta and built the Airport at 32% of the cost.
This is another apt example of why Privatization in India is never a good idea. The Rapacious Powers to be – will suck out all the positives and the Private Players who have paid 100 times the actual price will suck out everything from the Common man to recover these costs.
The U.S Military just got a HUGE wake up call and it’s bad
Forget Super Soldier Serum! It’s the reverse of that as the military’s new policy for transgender active service members.
They can now get cross-sex hormones and sex changes on taxpayer dollars and avoid deployment and active duty while transitioning.
They can also get out of fitness and grooming standards which is necessary given the number of counter-indications that have been associated with these hormones and surgeries used for gender dysphoria including: headaches, memory loss, weight gain, osteoporosis, teeth that shed enamel or cracked, degenerative spinal disks, painful joints, radical mood swings, seizures, migraines and suicidal thoughts, fibromyalgia, fertility problems and cognitive issues. Good thing we’re a peaceful country with an army like that!
Oh wait…?
What are the BRICS? Are there any plans to add another member to the group? Why or why not?
What are the BRICS?
Since the establishment of the BRICS cooperation mechanism, the foundation of cooperation has been increasingly solidified, and the fields have been gradually expanded. It has been led by leaders’ meetings and supported by ministerial meetings such as the High Representatives’ Meeting on Security Affairs and the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. A multi-level framework for pragmatic cooperation in dozens of fields such as agriculture, culture, education, health, think tanks, and sister cities.
The influence of BRICS cooperation has surpassed the scope of the five countries and has become a constructive force for promoting world economic growth, improving global governance, and promoting the democratization of international relations.
The land area of the BRICS countries accounts for 26.46% of the world’s total area, and the population accounts for 41.93% of the world’s total population. It is estimated that in 2021, the total economic volume of the five countries accounted for 25.24% of the world, and the total trade volume accounted for 17.9% of the world. In 2022, the voting power of the five countries in the World Bank was 14.06%, and the total share in the International Monetary Fund was 14.15%.
The New Development Bank has made great innovations in the distribution of equity by equally sharing equity and voting rights among the five founding members, and it has also provided a new choice for the governance model of multilateral development financial institutions.
The BRICS countries build comprehensive, close, pragmatic and inclusive high-quality partnerships, and form partnerships rather than alliances. In response to the endless traditional and non-traditional security threats, the BRICS countries support each other on issues related to each other’s core interests and engage in dialogue rather than confrontation.
After the outbreak of the international financial crisis in 2008, the BRICS countries huddled together and made great contributions to global economic growth. The BRICS countries have built a solid foundation for practical cooperation and continue to promote cooperation in the fields of currency and finance, trade and investment, and energy resources.
The BRICS countries will build a new industrial revolution partnership and strengthen cooperation in the fields of future networks, industrial Internet and digital manufacturing, digital transformation of manufacturing, and standardization.
Are there any plans to add another member to the group?
Over the past seventeen years since 2006, the successful practice of BRICS cooperation has injected confidence into those developing countries that want to speed up development while maintaining independence and has also won high recognition and trust from these countries. A large number of emerging market countries and developing countries have expressed their strong will to further strengthen cooperation with the BRICS countries.
Since 2022, the BRICS countries have officially launched a new round of expansion process, hoping to allow more like-minded people to join the big family of BRICS cooperation as soon as possible. The reason why the BRICS cooperation is increasingly attractive is that it proposes and implements a new concept of cooperation and creates and promotes the construction of a new pattern of group rise of emerging powers.
The BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting being held in 2022 invited and to be held 2023 will invite foreign ministers from the other countries to attend the meeting as guests, building a new cooperation platform for emerging market countries and developing countries.
As more emerging market countries and developing countries become more deeply involved in BRICS cooperation, BRICS countries will also demonstrate greater charm with more fruitful cooperation results and become a stronger force for promoting constructive changes in the global governance system.
The world’s biggest problem? Powerful psychopaths.
This little video is VERY GOOD at explaining why the West is led by psychopaths.
Professor Brian Klass unpacks the truth behind history’s evil leaders, explaining how they so easily acquire power, and how we can change the pattern.
What is the best case of, “You just tried to scam the wrong person,” that you’ve witnessed?
My daughter is 5′ and about 97 pounds if she ate a big meal. Because of her small size and her having a sweet and friendly attitude she was targeted by bullies a lot; so we put her in martial arts to build confidence, greater self esteem and to protect herself. She eventually got her second degree black belt but only close friends and family were aware of this fact.
Flash forward to high school and there were a group of football players who felt they has carte blanche to inappropriately touch female classmates. Even when brought up to the school they were never punished so it empowered them to continue and escalate.
One day a “star” player who was likely to be getting a scholarship started to bother her in the cafeteria. She warned him to back off. As she walked away he grabbed her from behind putting both hands on her chest. She stomped down on his foot, grabbed his thumb while twisting out and palm struck him in his solar plexus. He gasped for air, went to his knees and it was over. She walked away; I thought she should have kneed him in the face, but she’s nicer than me.
We get the call from school of her assaulting another student. We go and there’s the principal, vice principal and a deputy sheriff. The threat is now expulsion because there’s a zero violence policy and a threat to be arrested for assault and battery.
After our daughter explained her side, along with witnesses, the deputy advised she was in her right to protect herself but said he’d refer to the DA for the boy that grabbed her to see if there should be charges and then left. The school attempted to continue with expulsion, because football players are gold to them I guess, until we had an attorney threaten to sue.
The football player experienced public humiliation, a sprained thumb and was charged for sexual battery by the DA. He lost his scholarship.
I’m still proud of her.
Brian Berletic: China will DEFEAT the US’ Dangerous Meddling in Taiwan and Asia
Cacciatore French Bread Pizza
Ingredients
- 6 (7-inch) French rolls or 1 long loaf French bread
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast meat, cut into thin strips
- 1 cup (1 small) sliced onion
- 1 cup (1 small) sliced bell pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup CONTADINA Pizza Sauce
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
- 1/2 cup (2.8 ounce can) sliced ripe olives
- 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Slice bread in half lengthwise. Place cut-side up on baking sheet.
- Bake in preheated 425 degree F oven for 3 to 4 minutes or until lightly toasted.
- Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add chicken, onion, bell pepper and salt; cook, stirring constantly, for 4 to 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Spread pizza sauce over cut surface of bread; top with chicken mixture.
- Sprinkle with basil, olives and cheese.
- Bake at 425 degrees F for 5 to 8 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.
Servings: 8
Tucker ENDS GOP Presidential Candidate With ONE WORD
Tucker Carlson moderated this past Friday’s Family Leadership Summit in Des Moines, Iowa, and his conversation with former Arkansas Governor and current GOP Presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson came to a screeching halt when Hutchinson could not handle basic questions about COVID policy and vaccines.
GERMANY Betrays U.S Says Can’t Decouple From China At Any Cost!
One of the ways the CIA orchestrates anti government protests in foreign countries is through NGOs as evidenced in the case of Hong Kong. What would be the best tactics to counter such protests before they turn big?
There is no easy defence to what the CIA had orchestrated into Hong Kong. NOT only does it have the full force of the most powerful nation on earth behind it but it has amassed tremendous resources from its involvement in the contraband businesses. In fact, the CIA had perfected the strategy of destabilizing countries and it was used on MANY occasions, including:
- Maidan revolution in Ukraine
- Balsonaro protests in Brazil
- Freedom protests in Canada
There are steps that should be taken by the authorities, including:
- Minimizing the size of the American diplomatic mission in the country
- Disallow foreign funding of think tanks in the country
- Strict foreign subversion laws, the enforcement of those laws with strict monitoring of the country’s media and journalist. What is NOT commonly known is that the CIA has recruited white persons extensively from Anglo countries and slot them into think tanks, international organizations and businesses to await orders to carry out their evil deeds
If a protests breaks out in the country:
- Internet and social media should be shut down
- A state of emergency declared
- Zero tolerance on any violence or rioting which is to be countered with the use of overwhelming force if necessary
The CIA is a scourge on ALL humanity, including Americans. In addition to causing havoc and chaos against “unfriendly” governments, it also has a history of overthrowing allied government including an Australian Government and is believe to be behind the Freedom Movement which almost shut Canada down recently.
It does what it does – sow chaos, mayhem and death – for no good reason other than that it can.
Intel and Nvidia continue to push AI chips in China despite US restrictions
Semiconductor giant Intel Corp has brought its latest processor for artificial intelligence (AI) deep-learning applications to mainland China, where massive demand for US-restricted advanced chips has created a major under-the-counter trade for smuggled graphics processing units (GPUs) from Nvidia Corp.
At a press conference in Beijing on Tuesday, Intel executives presented the company’s Gaudi2 processor, a device that is not subject to US export restrictions, as its answer to Nvidia’s premium A100 GPU, which is widely used for training AI systems.
The latest initiative by Intel – which generated 27 per cent of its total 2022 revenue in China, according to its latest annual report – underscores the continued importance of the vast mainland market to US semiconductor technology providers, despite Washington’s export controls.
It follows efforts by Nvidia earlier this year to push modified versions of its flagship A100 and H100 GPUs in China to comply with US restrictions and keep the supply lines open for its customers on the mainland, where new AI development projects have flourished to create services similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
In August last year, the US Department of Commerce imposed a ban on Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) from selling some advanced chips to China. Nvidia was instructed to stop selling its A100 and H100 GPUs, while AMD was prevented from exporting its MI250 chips to the mainland.
That left China’s AI sector scrambling to buy limited supplies of advanced chips from Nvidia, which has a near monopoly on GPUs used to train AI systems.
The strong demand has even created a fast-growing market for smuggled GPUs, such as the A100 and H100 devices from Nvidia.
The A100 Tensor Core GPU, according to the Nvidia website, powers the world’s leading data centres used for AI, data analytics and high-performance computing applications.
For Intel, the demand in China strengthens its commitment to provide clients “with a wide range of hardware selections”, company executive vice-president Sandra Rivera, who also serves as general manager of the firm’s data centre and AI group, said at the press conference in Beijing.
She said the Gaudi2 was designed to lower the barrier to entry and enhance its mainland clients’ ability “to deploy AI through cloud and smart-edge technologies, helping build up China’s AI future”.
Intel announced that it is working with inspur group – the world’s second-largest AI server manufacturer, based in eastern Shandong province – to build new Gaudi2-powered machines for the mainland market.
Habana Labs, Intel’s data centre team focused on AI deep learning processor technologies, initially launched Gaudi2 last May in the US, where it said the processor’s training throughput performance was twice that achieved by Nvidia’s 80-gigabyte A100 GPU for the ResNet-50 computer vision model and the BERT natural language processing model.
Intel’s latest offering comes at a time when more difficulties potentially loom for China’s AI ambitions.
The US government is said to be considering restricting Chinese companies’ access to American cloud computing services, which would stop Amazon Web Service and Microsoft Corp from using the power of advanced AI chips to benefit their mainland clients, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal earlier this month.
The US was said to be also considering an escalated move to include Nvidia’s remodelled A800 GPU in its export ban, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal last month.
What did the job interviewer say that made you NOT accept the job offer?
He was honest (which I appreciated very much).
Once, I went in for a Head Chef position at a still in-construction new gastropub opening in my town. I was prepped, dressed and ready to win over the interviewer. Thus obtaining my first kitchen to run and menu to design. I was very confident and excited.
I was told the new place was owned by a restaurant group. That’s not unusual. So I wasn’t surprised when there were three people, and not one, in the room to interview me. The man in the middle was the group’s Executive Chef.
The interview went very well. Everything looked great, and they told me I was easily their leading candidate. Then one of them asked if I had any questions. I asked the exec chef if I would be putting together the menu with his supervision and direction.
The three men looked at each other with confusion for a second. Then the exec asked me:
“Did anyone explain what this establishment will be?”
I told him the information given me. He gave a frustrated grunt, quickly glared at the other two men, and said:
“This isn’t part of a group. This is a corporate franchise. There are about a half-dozen places in the Midwest, and this would be the first on the East Coast. You wouldn’t have any input on the menu. That’s all done at the headquarters in Dallas. Even the food is shipped from there as well.”
I replied: “So what you’re actually looking for is a fast food manager, not a chef.”
One of the other men took some offense to that sort of characterization. But I could tell the exec knew where I was coming from. I just gathered my things and politely said:
“Gentlemen, I don’t think I’d be the right person for this job. I’ve never even set foot in an Applebee’s or Red Lobster. But thank you very much, and good luck.”
I made sure to thank the exec twice as I shook his hand before walking away. As I opened the door out, I could hear him raising his voice at his colleagues.
Beijing tells NATO to stay out of E. Asia
Efforts urged for growth, stability in post-pandemic era at Jakarta gathering
Beijing on Friday criticized attempts to undermine the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ central role in the East Asian regional cooperation architecture, and dismissed NATO’s ambition to meddle in the region.
Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the stern warning in Jakarta when attending the annual East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
The meeting in the Indonesian capital gathered representatives of 10 ASEAN countries along with eight other countries — Australia, China, Japan, India, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States.
Wang called on countries to “earnestly support the central role of ASEAN and build a solid foundation for peace”.
Noting that ASEAN’s central role is the natural result of evolution in history and the greatest common ground of all parties, Wang rejected attempts to undermine and replace ASEAN’s role, and said “it is even more unreasonable for NATO to set foot in East Asia”.
The region’s peace “should not be based on the pursuit of absolute security by a small number of countries”, and China is willing to explore cooperation with all parties regarding the Global Security Initiative it proposed, Wang said.
He reiterated China’s willingness to take the lead in signing the Protocol to the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone.
Observers said the region has been overshadowed by the reinforced military presence of the US and its allies in the South China Sea, policies seeking economic “decoupling” and NATO’s expanded outreach in the region.
Xu Liping, a veteran researcher on Southeast Asia studies at the National Institute of International Strategy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said, “We have seen deepening geopolitical competition among major countries, the lingering Ukraine crisis and the sluggish recovery of the world economy, as well as little relief in inflation, the energy crisis and food crises.”
Currently, “ASEAN countries expect to work with all parties to seek regional peace and development and effectively promote cooperation in East Asia as a whole”, he said.
In Wang’s speech, the senior diplomat asked nations to show their support for genuine multilateralism, strengthen benign interaction and put Asia-Pacific cooperation back on the right track.
He also called on all countries to join hands to make the region a center for economic growth, advance common development, champion the right path featuring economic globalization, and secure the multilateral trade system.
He added that China is ready to work with all parties to continue the advancement of cooperation in poverty relief and energy.
Liu Qing, vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies, said the meeting “mainly serves as a communication platform and plays a role in enhancing political mutual trust”, and “ASEAN is an important engine of regional cooperation and development in Asia”.
On the meeting’s sidelines, Wang held bilateral talks with senior diplomats from countries including Japan, India and the ROK on Friday.
When meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, Wang urged Tokyo to “shape an objective and rational perception of China, draw lessons from history with practical actions, and adhere to the path of peaceful development”.
Recently, Tokyo has positioned China as its biggest “strategic challenge”, exaggerating China’s so-called “threat” on multiple occasions and in various documents. Wang said that this is “seriously inconsistent with the reality of China-Japan relations” and runs counter to the important consensus of the two sides that they “are cooperative partners, and do not pose a threat to one another”.
He called on the Japanese side to “improve the feelings between the people of the two countries and promote China-Japan relations to return to the track of sound, stable development”. Beijing is open to maintaining contacts at all levels, as well as economic and trade exchanges and people-to-people exchanges, he added.
Hayashi said Tokyo looks forward to building constructive and stable Japan-China relations and creating conditions for high-level exchanges.
On Friday, Wang also attended the ASEAN Regional Forum Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
What is the dirtiest fine print you’ve seen in a contract?
When I sold my last house. The woman who bought it was in her 40s and divorced. I don’t think she ever owned a house. We went to closing and all was going fine. Signing documents left and right. Her attorney was explaining everything as he handed the papers for her to sign. They get to the mortgage agreement and he said what the payment will be and the buyer’s face turned white. Apparently, she didn’t realize that the mortgage payment she was quoted didn’t include the real estate taxes. This area has very high taxes. I was so scared she was going to back out and I’d lose the $40,000 down payment I made on the house I was buying. She also didn’t seem to understand the terms of the mortgage. It was an interest only loan for the first ten years, after which her payment would double. I felt sorry for her but I wasn’t in a position where I could afford to lose 40 grand.
She ended up getting foreclosed after 11 years. I sold that house in 2004. This is a good example of why the housing crisis happened a few years later. She couldn’t really afford the house but they gave her the mortgage anyway.
What are some mind-blowing inventions that most people don’t know about?
Mine Kafon is amazing in its simplicity, a wind deminer invented by Massoud Hossani, a Afghan boy, in 2012.
It’s a bamboo and recycled plastic structure, which has a size-to-weight ratio that can be moved by the wind, but is heavy enough to detonate a mine if run over it.
Each structure of this type is capable of withstanding at least 3 explosions before being rendered useless.
The idea was to release large numbers of them into the Afghan desert and let them do their work independently.
Afghanistan is a very windy region and one of the amusements of local children is precisely the self-construction of wind toys, which are then made to compete with each other. This simple hobby is at the origin of the idea that moved the project.
In 2013 Mine Kafon headlined a Kickstarter fundraising campaign which received wide media coverage and raised over £100,000 in funding.
Thanks to fundraising, the Mine Kafon foundation was opened in Holland, from which several subsequent projects emerged, which perfected the model and opened up new lines of research, which eventually led to the idea of a demining drone.
The original design was so elegant that it was exhibited in 2013 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and in many other museums in the following years.
Apparently, Embroidery Tattoos Are A Thing And It Looks Cooler Than It Sounds
Two art forms, both involving the use of needles, but seemingly worlds apart. But no more. Embroidery, a classical art that you are more likely to associate with your grandma, has combined with the tattoo scene to create beautiful, folky designs that are both unique and traditional at the same time.
The results speak for themselves. The rich, textured designs look like the ink has been sewn into the skin, and take on an almost 3D appearance as they ‘pop’ out at you. Many designs are a contemporary take on a timeless technique, with a series of tiny x’s combining to form a bigger picture.
What do you think? Would you consider getting a tattoo like this?
h/t: boredpanda
Is the CCP losing support from its younger Chinese generation?
No, the Communist Party of China in not losing but gaining more popular support from its younger Chinese generations because more and more Chinese youngsters join the Party to serve the modernization of China better as one of the best world class scientists and engineers and leaders in building China Dream and a global community of shared future for mankind in peace and common prosperity.
Joining the Party is a kind of belief, honor and responsibility to the Chinese. Both their grandfather and father may be good Party members such that they have listened the history of the Party since they were a child. What they listen to most is the part where the Communist Party of China leads the Chinese people to carry out the new democratic revolution with Chinese Characteristics.
Many Party members among their teachers and classmates let them feel the power of role models around them. They are very proud to be Chinese in modern China. Recognizing that the value of a person is not only reflected in the growth of personal knowledge and strategies for doing things. Only by creating the greatest value and giving back to the country and society can the value of life be fully reflected truly in being a useful person to society.
The good Party members hope to use their spirit and actions to inspire and drive a group of graduate students and more young colleagues to devote themselves to research and dedicate themselves to science.
Taking over the spiritual torch condensed by their predecessors with passion and even blood, the younger Chinese generations must shoulder the dreams of a generation and strive forward to make their own contribution to the realization of the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation!
That is why China continues to make China better day by day.
The United States isn’t the only place going bat-shit crazy
Enjo-kosai
Known as rent a schoolgirl, is a type of sugar daddy platonic relationship for hire. Originating in the late 1990s, young underaged Japanese school girls in need of quick cash began to sell themselves to much older clients. Even though a majority of these encounters rarely involves sexual intercourse, there have been instances where sex was involved, including by force. It is part of Japan’s disturbing appetite for young innocent girls which has been a fetish for years. More importantly, Japanese school girls took advantage of the ever-increasing problem of loneliness with the male population.
Rent a Boyfriend
It is not just Japanese men employing the services of fake girlfriends. Lonely Japanese women, many of whom have failed in their love lives or had none at all, will turn to the rent a boyfriend agency. There they will select their fantasy boyfriend who will happily accompany them to dinner and flirt with them. Of course none of this is for free. It might cost a woman thousands of dollars for one evening out with these artificial boy toys.
Rent a Family (this is not a joke)
By far the most bizarre and disturbing practices in Japan is to rent a fake family. This practice actually started in the early 1990s. A rental family service (レンタル家族) or professional stand-in service provides clients with actor(s) who portray friends, family members, or coworkers for social events such as weddings, or to provide platonic companionship. The price range goes anywhere from over $500 a month to 1K to 2K a month. Demand for this service has increased due to the plummeting birth rate and lack of family or friend connections in Japanese society today.
Solo Weddings
As I mentioned before, fewer and fewer Japanese men and women are getting married. They are either too busy, or don’t want to commit to any relationship at all. Once again there were those who decided to capitalize on this trend. Solo weddings where the answer. The clientele consists largely of Japanese women who decided they would have a wedding without the groom. These women pay for the ceremony, attendees, a wedding cake, ring and wedding dress. She could even get a marriage license stating she is married to herself. This trend took off around the early 2010s. It is also extremely expensive.
This is INTELLIGENT.
LISTEN CAREFULLY TO THIS, rather than the brainless western media BS spinning too hard to follow the NATO narrative until they look stupid.
Why do many buildings in Hong Kong have holes, right in the middle of them?
You’ll never guess the reason for these giant holes.
Many buildings in Hong Kong have holes, right in the middle of them.
With a population of over 7 million people, you’d think that space would be at a premium, but these giant holes exist in so many buildings.
Why?
Dragons. And Feng Shui. 🐉
Seriously.
The holes are designed to let dragons fly through them unobstructed from the hills to the sea. Blocking the path results in bad Feng Shui which impacts the energy of the entire city.
The holes are known as ‘dragon gates’ and according to feng shui, these holes allow dragons to fly from the mountains to the ocean each day, allowing positive energy to flow through the building as a result.
How many government agencies are really efficient?
Every Single one of them
Shocked???
You will be surprised.
Our Government Babus are not all incompetent or lazy. They just have a Colonial hierarchy and an organizational infrastructure that saps any fun and zeal out of life.
Take our CPWD Engineers
You think theyre doofuses?
Of course not
The CPWD Engineers have many times corrected a Design of a Private Body and improved it
Give them a supervision task and they have the full ability to crack it
Take our CBI
You think CBI Officers are dolts? Babus?
They can work like FBI with 5% resources and have unerring instincts
Then why dont they?
Reason One – They Cannot
Reason Two – They dont have to
Why?
Cesspit Democracy
How?
An enterprising CPWD Engineer develops a superb design within budget and presents it
First, his boss will get a call “Boss, please ensure Mathur gets the Steel contract”
But Mathurs work is inferior.
No. Mathur has to get the contract
Next call “Please see the Cement Contracy goes to Lalwani”
Again Lalwani quotes 30% higher
Next call “Boss, Shah Engineering says this design wont work”
Why?
Because Shah Engineering gave us 10 Cr for the elections and now they want more profit
So the talented young Engineer gets called and says “Change the design to give Mathur the steelwork, Shah Engg 45% and Lalwani the Cement”
This means a project costing 100 Cr will actually only cost 22–25 Cr which means inferior design , inferior materials
And when Trouble comes – Sarkari Babus!!!! Damn them. Privatization Zindabad.
The Young engineer will lose interest and soon go home at 5 pm, take complimentary vacations to Dubai or London courtesy Shah Engineering or Mathur or Lalwani
Take a Talented SBI officer who uses risk models and evaluates that a Loan is risky and a better company deserves the loan
Say a Talented DGM puts up the note
First call “Boss. We have to encourage SMEs. Please sanction loan to ABC”
DGM says “Sir!!! He is a risk”
“Boss your transfer is up. Heard son is in X standard. Want to go to Dhanbad or Dispur???”
DGM says “Okay sir i will put up the note”
Then “Boss dont sanction loan to the other guy”
DGM says “Sir. Hes a good risk”
“Boss, Home Ministers sons wifes brother is Director in his rival company so dont sanction or else its Dhanbad or Dispur for you”
Then when Loan becomes NPA
Public Sector Bankers!!!!Corrupt!!! NPAs are rising. Lets Privatize
Loan officer loses interest and goes home at 6 PM
Who are the Callers??
The POLITICIANS AND THEIR STOOGES
And of every single party
BJP – Check, INC – Check, AAP – Check, DMK – Check , Check to every single party in India with zero difference
Every Agency faces interference and meddling.
CBI forced to file false cases loses reputation every minute
CBI forced to hide cases loses reputation every minute
Banks (Please issue loans), RBI (Please dont audit Anil Ambani too strongly), IT (Pressurize Pranoy Roy and Joseph Vijay), CBI (Arrest Chidambaram at any cost), CPWD (Give contract to XYZ)
Politicians spoil the broth and the agencies staff lose interest in work or make a profit by becoming corrupt
Why?
Politicians have to win elections
Elections need funding
Funding means repayments
Elections mean Appeasement
Result – Devastation and Horror
So just one word CESSPIT DEMOCRACY
The ruin of everything
Ghanaian Politician Sam George Issues Stern Warning to US on Potential Anti LGBT Sanctions
Outspoken Ghanaian politician Sam George, known for his strong opinions and fearless demeanor, has delivered a stern warning to Western powers who might be contemplating sanctions against Ghana due to an impending anti-LGBTQ bill.
In a bold move, he drew a compelling parallel to the recent actions of the United States, pointing out their targeting of the Speaker of Parliament in Uganda following the passing of their own anti-LGBTQ law.
He declared that if America dares to follow suit, Ghana will retaliate by shutting down American businesses within its borders.
Sam George further exposed the glaring hypocrisy of America, highlighting their failure to impose sanctions on the Secretary of Defense despite contradictory events during Pride Month.
Astonishingly, the U.S. Secretary of Defense obstructed and prohibited a transgender parade on a U.S. Air Force Base, claiming a lack of endorsement from their own defense headquarters, the Pentagon. Governor DeSantis of Florida passed legislation targeting openly transgender individuals.
So why hasn’t the American government taken decisive action against its own citizens?
Funny Doormats That Will Make You Look Twice
Most people only see doormats as something to wipe their feet on, but if you really think about it, doormats hold a higher purpose – they’re the first thing that people see before entering your home, so it would be unreasonable not to use them for the lulz.
h/t: sadanduseless
US chip companies are weakening under China’s backlash
The US sanctions on Chinese tech companies have garnered significant attention, with Micron being one of the targeted entities. These restrictions have put Micron in a challenging position, resulting in a notable decline in product purchases.
As a response, US authorities are calling for offsetting the sanctions in hopes of lifting the ban in the Chinese market.
Meanwhile, Micron is actively working to safeguard its interests by collaborating with Chinese customers and has made headlines with its acquisition of Chinese chip factories, making a substantial investment of over $4 billion to expand production capacity.
However, there are reports of potential further actions by the US to restrict shipments of special edition products from US chipmakers, causing a decline in share prices of Intel, AMD, Nvidia, and Micron.
Rumors in the industry suggest that these measures aim to tighten restrictions on Micron while allowing longer waivers for Samsung and SK Hynix, thereby potentially undermining the effectiveness of US sanctions.
The outcome of the US attempt to resolve the Micron issue through additional restrictions remains uncertain.
Ukraine Sitrep – Reality Defeats The War Narrative
At the beginning of the war in Ukraine I pointed out that the false narrative of ‘Ukraine is winning’ which the ‘western’ propaganda steadily promoted would not win the real war on the ground.
As the war continued I made the point again and again.
- Propaganda Does Not Change The War – The Ukraine Is Still Losing – Updated – March 25, 2022
- Ukraine – War Propaganda And News Items – October 11, 2022
- No – Such Propaganda Delusions Will Not Win The War – June 07, 2023
In this week’s SCF column Alastair Crooke makes the same point in much more detail.
Hubris consists in believing that a contrived narrative can, in and of itself, bring victory. It is a fantasy that has swept through the West – most emphatically since the 17th century. Recently, the Daily Telegraph published a ridiculous nine minute video purporting to show that ‘narratives win wars’, and that set-backs in the battlespace are incidentals: What matters is to have a thread of unitary narrative articulated, both vertically and horizontally, throughout the spectrum – from the special forces’ soldier in the field through to the pinnacle of the political apex.
The gist of it is that ‘we’ (the West) have compelling a narrative, whilst Russia’s is ‘clunky’ – ‘Us winning therefore, is inevitable’.
It is easy to scoff, but nonetheless we can recognise in it a certain substance (even if that substance is an invention). Narrative is now how western élites imagine the world.
…
The weakness to this new ‘liberal’ authoritarianism is that its key narrative myths can get busted. One just has; slowly, people begin to speak reality.Ukraine: How do you win an unwinnable war? Well, the élite answer has been through narrative. By insisting against reality that Ukraine is winning, and Russia is ‘cracking’. But such hubris eventually is busted by facts on the ground. Even the western ruling classes can see their demand for a successful Ukrainian offensive has flopped. At the end, military facts are more powerful than political waffle: One side is destroyed, its many dead become the tragic ‘agency’ to upending dogma.
Even as reality seeps out the narrative of a ‘successful’ western battle tactics in form of combined arms warfare gets reinforced.
Ukraine aims to sap Russia’s defenses, as U.S. urges a decisive breakthrough – Washington Post
Western officials and analysts say Ukraine’s military has so far embraced an attrition-based approach aimed largely at creating vulnerabilities in Russian lines by firing artillery and missiles at command, transport and logistics sites at the rear of the Russian position, instead of conducting what Western military officials call “combined arms” operations that involve coordinated maneuvers by large groups of tanks, armored vehicles, infantry, artillery and, sometimes, air power.
Ukraine’s military leaders argue that, lacking aviation might, they must avoid unnecessary losses against an adversary with a far larger pool of recruits and weaponry. To preserve manpower, Ukraine has fielded just four of a dozen trained brigades in the current campaign.
A new element in the narrative is that Ukraine is loosing because it does not use the glorious combined arms operations ‘western’ military told them to use.
Franz-Stefan Gady, from the British International Institute for Strategic Studies, has just been in Ukraine where he talked with Ukrainian soldiers and commanders at the frontline. In a Twitter thread he summarizes what he has seen but is strongly promoting the same narrative:
By and large this is an infantryman’s fight (squad, platoon & company level) supported by artillery along most of the frontline. This has several implications:
1st: Progress is measured by yards/meters and not km/miles given reduced mobility.
2nd: Mechanized formations are rarely deployed due to lack of enablers for maneuver. This includes insufficient quantities of de-mining equipment, air defenses, ATGMs etc.2.) Ukrainian forces have still not mastered combined arms operations at scale. Operations are more sequential than synchronized. This creates various problems for the offense & IMO is the main cause for slow progress.
…
4.) Minefields are a problem as most observers know. They confine maneuver space & slow advances. But much more impactful than the minefields per se on Ukraine’s ability to break through Russian defenses is 🇺🇦s inability to conduct complex combined arms operations at scale.
Lack of a comprehensive combined arms approach at scale makes Ukrainian forces more vulnerable to Russian ATGMs, artillery etc. while advancing. So it’s not just about equipment. There’s simply no systematic pulling apart of the Russian defensive system that I could observe.
The narrative element is the same as in the Washington Post. That the Ukrainians are not using our vaunted combined arms operations is the reason for their failure.
The well synchronized New York Times piece is making the same point:
But that artillery-centric approach raises questions about whether Ukraine has lost confidence in the combined arms tactics — synchronized attacks by infantry, armor and artillery forces — that nine new brigades learned from American and other Western advisers in recent months. Western officials heralded the approach as more efficient than the costly strategy of wearing Russian forces down by attrition and depleting their ammunition stocks.
Senior U.S. officials in recent weeks had privately expressed frustration that some Ukrainian commanders, exasperated at the slow pace of the initial assault and fearing increased casualties among their ranks, had reverted to old habits — decades of Soviet-style training in artillery barrages — rather than sticking with the Western tactics and pressing harder to breach the Russian defenses.
However, the narrative is wrong.
The Ukrainian do not fear increased casualties. They did try combined arms warfare in the beginning of the counteroffensive in early June. After a few days of trying again and again they noted that the attacks failed with ever greater losses and were not sustainable. A third of the tanks and other material the ‘west’ had sent to Ukraine was destroyed in the attempts to use ‘fire and maneuver’ to break through Russian mine fields and defense lines.
Ukraine then returned to the current ‘mosquito tactics’ where small groups of infantry soldiers try to make small progress bit by bit. The likely loss of more tanks was thus replaced with the likely loss of more lives.
The narrative element that a combined arms attack would have more success is simply false.
As Crooke explains:
The hubris, at one level, lay in NATO’s pitting of its alleged ‘superior’ military doctrine and weapons versus that of a deprecated, Soviet-style, hide-bound, Russian military rigidity – and ‘incompetence’.
But military facts on the ground have exposed the western doctrine as hubris – with Ukrainian forces decimated, and its NATO weaponry lying in smoking ruins. It was NATO that insisted on re-enacting the Battle of 73 Easting (from the Iraqi desert, but now translated into Ukraine).
In Iraq, the ‘armoured fist’ punched easily into Iraqi tank formations: It was indeed a thrusting ‘fist’ that knocked the Iraqi opposition ‘for six’. But, as the U.S. commander at that tank battle (Colonel Macgregor), frankly admits, its outcome against a de-motivated opposition largely was fortuitous.
Nonetheless ‘73 Easting’ is a NATO myth, turned into the general doctrine for the Ukrainian forces – a doctrine structured around Iraq’s unique circumstance.
In the first year of the second world war the German Wehrmacht used combined arms warfare to wage its blitzkrieg against inferior adversaries. The tactic failed two years later when it tried to break through solid Soviet defense lines.
In the battle of 73 Easting the U.S. army could repeat blitzkrieg tactics because he had air superiority, well trained troops and better weapons. But the circumstance in Ukraine can not be compared to a mobile war in the desert. —
The Black Sea grain deal has, as we expected, ended. The Ukraine reacted to this anticipated loss with a another successful attack on the Kerch bridge. Road traffic will be hindered or blocked for two or three months but the more important rail lines along the route are still intact.
As the grain deal was expected to fail, the Ukrainians may well have thought of breaking the blockade of its harbors by asking for more ships to come. But the Russia military has now used a large drone and missile attack to make sure that the facilities in Odessa and other Ukrainian Black Sea harbors can no longer be used to load or unload ships. It thus does not make sense for any ships to go there. —
Over the last week the ground war in east Ukraine has further intensified. In the north of the eastern contact line the Russian army has launched its own attacks. In the center and south the Ukrainians still try to break through Russian defenses. But they are losing about 700 soldiers per day with little to show for the losses.
The Russian’s are again concentrating on the defeat of the Ukrainian artillery. Over the last five days they claimed to have destroyed 27 brigade level ammunition depots. Each of these should usually hold around 30 tons of shells and missiles. Thus such attacks add up. During those five days the Russians also claimed to have destroyed some 66 Ukrainian artillery pieces. It is race of what will be completely lost first, the ammunition the Ukrainian’s can use or the guns that are needed to fire it.
But some Ukrainians still insist on continuing the senseless fight.
War Monitor @WarMonitors – 10:38 UTC · Jul 18, 2023
⚡️“Returning Bakhmut is a matter of honour. We have lost many of our brothers there, we simply must recapture it”— Syrsky during a BBC interview
The way too emotional interview quote is not in the writeup of the BBC interview but I still have not seen a video of it.
That Ukraine has already lost many soldiers in Bakhmut should certainly not be a reason to continue fighting for it. It has by now only symbolic value. Even it would again change hands it would not change the trajectory of the bigger war.
Ukraine is loosing that war. The Jig Is Up and NATO knows it. Ukraine will never be allowed to become a member.
A new narrative element is creeping in with talks about a ceasefire in Ukraine. It would give the Ukraine time to refit its military.
But Russia has absolutely no reason to agree to a pause in the fight. During the war its military has become larger and better and a total defeat of the Ukrainian army is only a question of time.
The U.S. and NATO will soon have lost their big proxy war against Russia.
In light of this reality the much larger, centuries old narrative of the superior West is also breaking down.
This will have global consequences for decades to come.
Posted by b on July 18, 2023 at 16:58 UTC | Permalink
America SLAMS Africa on LGBTQ, then THIS Happens
What is the dirtiest fine print you’ve seen in a contract?
My daughter lives in the small town that hosts the world’s largest motorcycle rally every August. As you can imagine, the small town explodes in population for a couple of weeks, going from about 8,000 people to 700,000.
Many people in the area rent out their homes to rally goers as a way to make a little extra money. When my daughter and her husband were searching for apartments, they encountered a couple of them that, on the surface, looked pretty good. That is, until you looked closely at the rental agreements. Some of them require the tenants to vacate the property for the week of the rally. This is a well known dirty clause. She found one that went a step further. Not only would they have been required to vacate during rally week, but it also required the renter to pay for any damages caused by Rally Renters. How on earth is it fair to expect your tenant to absorb the cost of damages that they are powerless to prevent? That’s insane.
Luckily she found a place with no rally clauses. Always read rental agreements before you sign!
Lost in Space STS-117 B9 Robot Presentation Video
LOL. LOL. LOL.
Russia BLOCKADES Ukraine Ports
World Hal Turner 19 July 2023
Russia has announced that effective 00:00 Hrs Moscow Time on July 20, all Ships attempting to travel to/from ANY Port in Ukraine, will be considered “carriers of military equipment” and “participants in the conflict.”
The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) explicitly states “SOME AREAS OF THE BLACK SEA HAVE BEEN TEMPORARILY DECLARED AS DANGEROUS FOR NAVIGATION **COUNTRIES, UNDER WHICH FLAGS VESSELS ARE TRAVELLING TO UKRAINIAN PORTS ON THE BLACK SEA, WILL BE CONSIDERED AS PARTIES TO CONFLICT ON UKRAINIAN SIDE**
Russia imposed a naval blockade of Ukraine immediately after the end of the ‘grain deal which was stopped in retaliation for the Ukraine attack upon the Kerch Strait Bridge, that killed two Russian civilians, and seriously wounded a child traveling in a car with her parents when the bridge was blown up. Both parents died.
12 cargo ships are now stuck in the ports of Odessa and Nikolaev. Not a single dry cargo ship has entered Ukrainian waters since the Russians announced this action.
Insurance Carriers have already warned all shipping companies they will NOT insure vessels attempting to enter the Ukraine conflict zone effective immediately.
Ukraine is now land-locked, and will remain so in perpetuity — assuming it even persists at all as a sovereign entity.
Intel Circuits are absolutely swamped with chatter saying the map below is what will be left of Ukraine — if anything at all:
(Hal Turner Remark: I am convinced this map illustrates the most likely outcome of the war. “Ukraine” will be reduced to a land-locked rump state; Novorossiya will be re-established; Crimea is already reunited with Russia, and will remain so in perpetuity.)
It is noteworthy to report the U.K., with U.S. backing, declared a 200-mile exclusion zone around the Falkland Islands during the South Atlantic War.
The U.S. Declared military exclusion zones during the Gulf Wars many times.
There is plenty of recent precedent for the Russians to declare the same.
Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby made clear the US will not send warships to escort commercial vessels from Ukraine.
Following the recent decision to cancel the grain deal between Russia and Ukraine, U.S. has officially announced its decision not to use warships to escort commercial ships leaving Ukrainian ports. “We have only one way left – land. This involves the transportation of goods by rail or by road, which is undoubtedly more difficult and less efficient” Kirby said.
Statement on the blockade from the Russian MOD in English.
Note that is an almost word-for-word copy of the UK Declaration from the Falklands War in 1982.
“ In connection with the cessation of the functioning of the Black Sea Grain Initiative and the ;losing of the maritime humanitarian corridor, from 00.00 Moscow time on 20 July 2023, all vessels sailing in the waters of the Black Sea to Ukrainian ports will be regarded as potential carriers of military cargo.
– Accordingly, the countries of such vessels will be considered to be involved in the Ukrainian conflict on the side of the Kiev regime.
– In addition, a number of sea areas in the north-western and south-eastern parts of the international waters of the Black Sea have been declared temporarily dangerous for navigation. Corresponding information warnings on the withdrawal of safety guarantees to mariners have been issued in accordance with the established procedure.”
Green Acres Reunion 1989
Bacon Chicken Rolls
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
- 4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 1/2 cups Italian bread crumbs
- 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 (16 ounce) jar creamy Alfredo sauce
Instructions
- Flatten chicken breast pieces and dredge in butter, then into bread crumbs.
- Place on platter.
- Mix cooked, crumbled bacon, green onions and bell pepper together, and spoon into center of each chicken breast.
- Fold chicken over and secure with a wooden pick.
- Place chicken rolls into slow cooker. Pour 1/2 jar of sauce over all .
- Cook on LOW for 8 hours. During the final 30 minutes of cooking, pour on remaining sauce.
- Serve with rotini pasta.
African American women bad mouths get them arrested and assaulted in Dubai and Africa
What was the worst performance in Olympic history?
On paper — Eric Moussambani’s performance would seem startlingly bad. But in the course of one minute and fifty-two seconds, he won over an entire crowd.
Eric hailed from the small and developing country of Equatorial Guinea. As part of a push to democratize and have a more inclusive Olympics, their nation was invited to participate.
Eric overheard a radio advertisement that his nation’s swimming federation was looking for swimmers. A total of two swimmers showed up for the audition, including him.
And so he was in.
He learned to swim 8 months prior to the Olympics, practicing in his hotel’s 20-meter swimming pool. When he arrived at the Sydney Games, he didn’t even have goggles or an appropriate swimsuit and would have been disqualified — if not for a South African coach giving him those items.
During his initial heat, the only other two people false started, and he went on to be the only swimmer:
As a long-time swimmer and coach myself, it was immediately apparent Eric hadn’t done much swimming or had any coaching. He nearly belly-flopped when diving in, and immediately sprinted the opening, not breathing, or conserving his energy.
By the 25% mark, Eric was fading. And on the return lap, you wondered if he’d even finish. Yet — the crowd was telling. Initially, they seemed to be confused by what they were seeing, with a few onlookers laughing.
But midway through, they noticed he was struggling, with his legs dragging below him. He was only inching forward and breathing hard. Then, they realized intuitively that this was something special they were watching.
The crowd got to their feet, cheering him on, with several in tears. They knew this was a unique moment in history, with a person from a developing country, where swim lessons and swim teams were a foreign concept.
It was clear Eric was giving his all. He’d never even swam a full 100 meters in his life. When he got to the wall, he heard so much cheering that he wondered if he had won a medal.
He set the record for the slowest 100M time in Olympic history but that isn’t what he is remembered for.
Today, he can still say he competed as an Olympian which isn’t something many of us can do.
15 Things That Can’t Be Seen Anywhere But In Japan
What should I not do when visiting Chicago?
Don’t order a full deep-dish pizza for yourself, especially if you have to fly home and can’t take pizza on the plane. You’ll end up wasting a lot of perfectly good pizza.An old friend of mine worked in a downtown hotel, and she said she saw that happen all of the time. Businessmen would order a whole Chicago deep dish pizza for themselves, get full after one or two slices (each slice is like a whole meal), and, when it came time for them to leave, they’d just leave more than half of the pizza in the room.
I’m a big guy, but even I can’t eat two whole pieces of a well-made Chicago deep dish. You get 8 pieces in most pizzas. For one full-grown man, that’s two days’ worth of meals, if he ate it for every single meal.
There’s only so much meat and cheese your stomach can handle in one sitting. This is why most places sell it by the slice.
There Are Almost No Businesses Left In San Francisco
How do you improve your relationship any tips?
Once upon a time, I was a single mother dating a guy I really liked. Things got serious and he moved in.
I had a laundry problem. With three kids, the laundry was never-ending. Washing, drying, sorting, putting away… there was almost never a time when it was “done”… there were always piles transitioning from dirty to clean to folded to put away. Someone’s laundry was always in the way and often, the kids wouldn’t put their folded stuff away and it would just merge back into the dirty laundry. I yelled, I cajoled… often I put it away myself because I got so tired of following up on everyone else. It was low-level exhausting every single day.
He wanted to go out more often, I just didn’t have time to spare.
This man went out and bought 5 nylon laundry bags, in different colors. He gave one to each person in the family. Everyone put their own laundry in their own bag. Then he piled all the bags into his car and took them away.
A few days later, he brought back cubes of folded laundry in plastic bags. He placed each person’s neatly folded and sorted laundry on their bed and it took them about 5 minutes to put everything where it belonged.
It was the purest form of magic I have ever witnessed.
He found a wash-and-fold laundry near his work. He gathered and took the laundry every Wednesday and returned it every Friday- fresh clothes for the weekend.
I have never been more turned on in my life.
He didn’t want to do the laundry any more than I did, but it had to get done. He solved the problem and took a huge load off my back… in turn I had much more time for him and for us. The house was nicer, the kids were better organized and a huge chunk of the everyday frustration of my life just went *poof*. I was a nicer person as a result. And more fun.
This man never did do any real work around the house, but he didn’t make me do it either… he took us out for dinner or brought home dinner so there were not many dishes to handle. He often went to the store for basics like paper towels and shampoo as well as groceries. He didn’t ask me if he should go or what he should get- he’d say, “I’m going for X, do you need anything?”
If you want more time for your relationship, solve the problems that wear your partner out and take up their time.
Unknown World (1951) | Sci-Fi Movie | Bruce Kellogg, Otto Waldis, Jim Bannon
A full movie treat. Watch if you have the time.
To watch a great classic film such as this, with the eyes of a child as we all were back in the 1950's & 60's. Brings back many good memories. Back then sometimes you would have your friends over at your house or you would be at theirs. When mom or dad asked who wants Jiffy Pop? We all would say I do! It isn't fair to be overly critical of this film. It is after all for entertainment.
Scientists use a gigantic drilling machine for an expedition to the center of the earth.