When I was in 5th grade, my friends and I stumbled upon an old “bottle dump” in the woods. These were 100 year old garbage and trash dumps that were reclaimed by the woods and forests of Western Pennsylvania.

The junk and organic matter was taken over by nature, thus leaving a thick and rich soil covered by native vegetation. The only things not decayed were the glass bottles, and the shards of broken glass that were everywhere.

Thus, we had stumbled upon a “bottle Dump”.

And for the next three or so years I would go out with my friends, happily digging away and collecting all sorts of colorful and interesting 100-year old bottles. My favorites were whittle bottles, and bitters.

Whittle marks are a very descriptive term for a bottle body feature that almost never has anything whatsoever to do with its name. The term "whittled" or "whittle marked" is a reference to a hammered or wavy surface to the glass that one could imagine was caused by the "whittled" marks of the mold maker on the inside surface of a wooden mold. Early 19th century glass makers called this effect "ruffled glass" while later it was referred to as a "hammered look" (Toulouse 1966)

Bitters, intact bottles, were rare and very much prized.

These bottles were the most popular medicine bottles in the 19th and 20th centuries. They were popular because of their content. The Bitters came from mixing natural herbs with a lot of alcohol. These medicines were widespread because, during the movement, they allowed the legal consumption of alcohol.

Anyways, we could collect the bottles, and I must have had hundreds in my basement, and many, many lining my boyhood walls. Where I had hanging model airplanes, books, and the brick-a-brack of my boyhood youth.

All was forgotten when I went to university, and then the Navy. And discarded by my mother by the time I got married.

Bottled collecting was a silly but enjoyable boyhood hobby that I have fond memories of. It allowed me to explore the history of my local area, crawl and climb in the woods and spend a lot of time outdoors.

If your kid ever gets into something so harmless, don’t hassle him over it. Embrace it. It could be far worse. Don’t you know.

Now you know

Two People – an Argentinian and Carmela Vitale of New York filed separate patents – 11 years apart – for a small piece of Plastic that prevented the Top Layer of Cheese and Tomatoes on a Pizza from scraping the Top of the Pizza Delivery box – which often ruined the Pizza.

The Argentinian did not renew the patent but Carmela Vitale earned royalties for this small piece of plastic of 3 1/2 cents per piece sold from 1.1.1986 to 31.12.2010 and earned a whopping $ 57.7 Million in Royalties alone

I would have to say this is the simplest yet at the same time the most lucrative business idea.

Driving tip

If a deer runs onto the road in front of you while your driving, its better to hit the deer then swerve into a ditch. If a Moose runs onto the road its better to swerve into a ditch, Moose’s are tanks.

NATO order Italy to stand away from China

“Signing up with China’s BRI was a dangerous mistake, and Italy needs to embrace the United States leadership”.

https://youtu.be/cJYFGtuqWsI

The last building standing in Hamburg.

This marvelous feat of modern aesthetics sits smack in the center of Hamburg, and will keep doing so for at least a millennium. It’s a flak tower / bomb shelter for the population, the kind of thing that was really needed in the mid-20th century in Germany.

When the war was over, the new government tried to get rid of most of the old Nazi-looking stuff that the previous administration had left behind. They commissioned their most elite demolition crew to this specific building. The guys scratched their heads for a very long time and came to the conclusion that tearing this beauty to the ground would require enough explosives to blow the whole city sky-high. So better not.

It’s still there. One of the best clubs in town uses the top floor. The walls are up to 3.5 meters thick, so the music doesn’t bother the neighborhood.

It’ll be the last building standing in Hamburg.

Wild West Chili Soup

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 2 medium garlic cloves
• 2 cans tomato soup
• 2 cans pinto beans, undrained
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 can beef broth
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups macaroni, cooked
• 2 tablespoons vinegar

Instructions

1. Brown beef with onion and garlic until tender.
2. Add remaining ingredients, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

What’s Actually Happening At U.S.-Mexico Border Is MIND BLOWING!

There’s a tremendous amount of hyperbole and emotion surrounding the border crisis, but what’s really going on? To find out, presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. traveled to Yuma, Arizona and spoke with border guards as well as migrants themselves, and what he learned was nothing short of shocking. Jimmy and RFK Jr. discuss the myths associated with the border situation and the revelations that criminal cartels are actually in charge of U.S. immigration policy.

Have you ever had a neighbor who believed they had free reign of your property?

Yep. Her name’s Elena.

She frequently trespasses in my garden, sleeps on top of my car, and if I ever leave my door open – as I do during a heatwave – she walks right in like she lives here.

A few weeks ago I was taking a bath with the window open downstairs, with my AirPods in, and I left the bathroom door open so the place wouldn’t steam up, and she came and jumped on me in the bath while my eyes were closed. I don’t know which of us got a bigger fright.

Fortunately for her, she’s awful cute.

Face hidden to avoid incrimination.

What role does China Evergrande Group, the world’s most indebted property developer, play in the debt crisis in China’s property sector?

The question is who takes the loss.

In the US subprime mortgage crisis, the government decided to let Lehman go under before the full extent of the debt was known, and this had a domino effect. The outgoing Bush administration decided that the banks needed to be bailed out to prevent running out of cash, and the losses were passed onto ordinary Americans.

In China’s case, the government is slowly letting the air out of the debt bubble instead of letting it collapse, and it is acting to prevent the losses being passed onto ordinary Chinese. Don’t expect a US-2008 style crash because real estate has been the main savings vehicle for ordinary Chinese over the past 40 years. The Chinese government knows that if they lost value on their homes too quickly, then Chinese would stop spending in the domestic economy, and China wants to cut back on exports as a portion of the Chinese economy. The aim is to switch over to a consumer-driven economy from an export-driven economy and this can only be achieved by making Chinese feel secure. This is the reason for all the spending and development on infrastructure and technology.

The important thing to remember about China is that the People’s Bank issues the currency, and government-owned banks make the loans. The US Fed only has control of interest rates, but the Chinese government has a much finer level of control than the US, and it reports only to the Communist Party, not an independent board of governors as the Fed does.

That makes a huge difference.

US/France threaten intervention in resource-rich Niger – Fears of war in West Africa

War! War! War!

The US and France have threatened foreign intervention to re-install a pro-Western regime in Niger, which produces uranium needed for nuclear energy and hosts large US drone bases. This follows coups led by nationalist, anti-colonial military officers in neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali, which warn intervention could set off a regional war in West Africa.

If you are ever kidnapped…

If you ever get kidnapped and put in the boot/trunk, disconnect the brake lights and there’s a chance the driver might get pulled over, given you a chance to call for hel

What are some of the worst industrial disasters that have occurred in the world?

The worst Nuclear disaster you have never heard of. In 1985 the Goiania institute of radiotherapy in Brazil, moved locations. They left behind a Cesium-137 cancer therapy machine. Two years later on September 13th, 1987, two men break into the building and steal the machine, as the guard that was hired to protect the building never showed up for work.

The men wheeled it home and began to dismantle it, with both men falling sick that night. Despite this they continued to dismantle the machine and by the 16th of September, they were able to puncture a hole in a capsule inside the machine.

Inside the capsule was a bright blue powder that they scooped up. They shared it with friends and relatives, even painting blue crosses on their shirts and some even used it as make-up, completely unaware of what they had.

The handling of the blue power was enough for the two thieves to require fingers and an arm to be amputated. But before it had gotten to that point the men decided to sell it to a local scrapyard. The machine was further dismantled by the owner, Devair Ferreira. When he was finally able to release the blue powder himself, he was fascinated by the it. Believing it to be highly valuable, even possibly supernatural, he invited family members over to see it, even passing it around.

From there it was then sold to another scrapyard. Devair’s brother, Odesson, even took a chunk of the material home with him. He was a local bus driver and unknowingly contaminated dozens of passengers. He’s also one of the most contaminated surviving victims of the disaster and he says he can still feel the burning in his hands.

His six-year-old daughter even played with the blue powder on the floor before having dinner, where some of the radio active material had fallen on her sandwich and she consumed it. Tragically, within just one month she passed away and was buried in a lead coffin, encased in concrete.

Nobody knew that the material was highly radioactive. As time passed, everyone who had came in contact with the machine or the powder began falling seriously ill. It wasn’t until a concerned relative had a feeling the machine had something to do with it and took some of the blue powder to the hospital to be tested. Doctors were quick to determine that they were suffering from acute radiation poisoning.

They resulted in over 100,000 people being isolated in the Olympic stadium for screening. 250 people were found to be contaminated. 28 skin related injuries from radiation and two men, one woman and one child died.

Over 40 homes and buildings had to be demolished. The remaining chunk of Cesium, as well as over 6000 tons of contaminated clothing, furniture, pieces of buildings and even dirt were packed into steel drums and containers and dumped in an abandon quarry.

Why don’t Chinese people wear their traditional dresses on a frequent basis? They are almost always in Western dresses. I think they should take more pride in their 汉服, for example.

Originally Answered: Why don’t Chinese people wear their traditional dresses on a frequent basis? They are almost always in western dresses. I think they should take more pride in their 汉服, for example.

OK, let’s say, sure, we want to wear our traditional dresses more. But which traditional dresses? from which dynasty? Like, here’s the thing about Chinese traditional dresses or 汉服, we kind of sort of don’t have a very clearly defined and universally accept definition of 汉服.

It’s not like 和服 or kimono. When people say kimono, you exactly what they’re talking about. The style is pretty iconic and consistent. There’s a long and continous tradition of making kimono following a very clearly defined processes from printing the fabric, to the cut, to how to wear them, to how to fold and store them.

Han Chinese traditional clothing do not have that because there are so much records about different type of clothing throughout history. We have record about our clothing style all the way back to the actual Han dynasty some 2000 years ago and beyond.

If someone want to wear a dress from 2000 years ago, we know how to make them.

If someone want to wear Tang dynasty clothing from about 1000 years ago, we know exactly what they look like.

So when you think about 汉服 (Chinese traditional dresses), what do you have in mind?

Do you think of something like this?

Except this is not even 汉服 or Han clothing. This is Manchu clothing, well, not even “traditional manchu clothing”. It is, more precisely, alternated modernized Manchu style clothing most popular during 民国 or Republic of China (1910s – 1940s) era. You aren’t seriously suggesting that the style popular during that 30–40 years represents the entirety of Chinese traditional clothing.

So if you wear this and call it 汉服, a lot of Hanfu purist would be very unhappy. After all, the Manchus are barbarians. Their clothing can not possibily be representative of Han Chinese clothing. That would be blasphemy.

And as a Manchu myself, I wouldn’t even call it “Manchu clothing” because this style is a westernized Manchu clothing only became popular AFTER the fall of Qing (Manchu) Empire.

You’re really talking about a “bastard” style between western and Manchu clothing that you (a westerner) is more familiar with, but has nothing to do with the real Hanfu (or Manchu clothing).

I do want to clarify that I love Republic of China era clothing. This was our “roaring 20s”, and I found the mix of Manchu and western style refreshing and glamorous. It’s just they aren’t Hanfu no matter how you cut it.

And on top of that, there’s also the practical consideration. As you can see most of the Han Chinese style clothing features long skirts (sometimes with trains) with long wide sleeves. They aren’t very practical in everyday life in our modern age. Try get on a crowded bus wearing a Ming dynasty clothing.

That being said, people do wear traditional Chinese clothing in everyday life.

Even though we couldn’t quite agree on what exactly is 汉服. They’re all very beautiful.

Germany announced its first “strategy on China“. It will reducing dependencies in critical sectors by diversifying its supply chains — a goal referred to as “de-risking.” What does this de-risking strategy mean to China?

I am very interested in the implementation details of de-risking because almost all major German manufacturers are public companies which need to report earnings to their shareholders every quarter, and shareholders are interested in the business health of their companies.

These companies have two reasons for their China presence:

1. That is where their supply chains are based and;
2. China is their largest single market.

My feeling is that shareholders will want to know in exact terms what de-risking is going to cost? Who is going to pay for the costs of moving supply chains and moving to smaller markets? Since Foreign Minister Annalina Baerbock is making the demand, (isn’t it strange that the foreign minister is telling German businesses what to do), shouldn’t she have discussed with the Economic Minister (also a Green Party member) how these companies would be compensated for their loss? Would there be a corporate tax holiday? Or would the government cover their losses with some kind of subsidy?

Based on what I have seen so far, there is no guarantee of any compensation for their loss. Just look at TSMC’s move to Arizona; they have not been given any money by the US government, even though they have spent more than US$10B on the move. TSMC shareholders are not happy about the move. TSMC’s founder Morris Chang is one very unhappy person and has gone public with his unhappiness. He is in his 90s, so he doesn’t give a damn.

You see, there are problems with de-risking from China:

• Every market after China is smaller;
• Every supply chain outside China is smaller and less efficient.

So the final question German manufacturers are likely asking is:

Who is going to eat the loss?

Gonzalo Lira seeks political asylum in Hungary

Gonzalo Lira seeks political asylum in Hungary The Duran: Episode 1658

American “news”

From the 1AUG23 Drudge Report.

What are the strangest facts about history?

In The 18th century, England’s wealthy had a peculiar taste for garden décor, live ornamental hermits. The English elite had an unique way of showcasing their wealth and tastes. They would hire people to live in their gardens. These individuals were not your typical gardener or caretakers. Instead, they were tasked with embodying the romantic ideal of the solitary, contemplative life

The wealthy landowners would construct follies, decorative buildings, or ruins in their gardens. These follies served as the living quarters for the hermits

The Hermits were expected to dress like druids, avoid bathing and let their hair and nails grow long. They were to spend their days in contemplation, writing and adding an air of mystic to the garden.

The role of the hermit was taken quite seriously. Some were under contract for years. For an example, Charles Hamilton, reportably offered a hermitage for seven years at his estate, Painshill Park, with a salary of 700 pounds around 150,000 euros in todays money.

However, the hermit he hired was dismissed after just three weeks after he was caught drinking down the local pub. The trend of ornamental hermits died out by the end of the 18th century.

What is the most brilliant example of taking advantage of a loophole you have ever witnessed?

My father ran construction crews in the 70’s and contracted for several builders. One wrote a bad check for the job. After the draft bounced my dad demanded a replacement check and called the bank to verify funds before leaving the office with it.

He took it to the issuing bank to cash and they refused because he did not have an account with them. He asked again if funds were available and was assured there were, but unless he had an account there they would not cash it for him.

He then asked if they would exchange it for a cashiers check. They said they would and took the builders check and issued my dad a cashiers check. My dad immediately requested they cash the cashiers check. The teller refused stating he needed to have an account with them to cash checks there.

At this point my dad got loud enough for everyone in the bank to easily hear the conversation and asked the clerk if they were refusing to honor their cashiers check because it might not be good? Was the bank having solvency issues?

A supervisor came over to handle the issue and after being updated as to the details by the clerk he started laughing and told her “He got you. Cashiers checks have to be cashed regardless of account status as they are written on the bank itself are are guaranteed as if cash.”

Dad walked out with his money.

What is the coolest fact you know?

Hungarian engineers mounted two MiG-21 Jet engines on a Soviet tank.

Why would you do that?

Necessity gave birth to this invention after a better way was needed to put out oil well fires in Iraq after the Gulf War in the ’90s.

Necessity gave birth again giving us the world’s greatest water cannon.

This baby can propel 7000 gallons of water in a minute from those black hoses you see sticking out.

The MiG-21 jet engines take care of the rest by propelling that water nearly 800 MPH at the fire.

Who would have thought two former war machines could come together to create this tool for the common good of humanity?

If you remember nothing else from this post, remember this:

Two negatives really can make a positive.

How did Americans get so fat?

Well, it could be more food.

But look at the “fat cities” as opposed to the “skinny cities” and you find another correlation. Walkability.

Not a lot of New Yorkers are fat, particularly in Manhattan. Driving is a chore there and walking is often the best way to get around.

But go to Houston. It’s one of the most obese cities in the country. Naturally, the only way to get around the city is to drive. No matter where you are, there’s nothing within walking distance.

The YouTube channel “Not Just Bikes” calls it the “gym of life”. He lives in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and he rarely drives. Hell, he even has a cargo bicycle where he can bike for 15 minutes to a big-box hardware store, pick up stuff, and bike it home. He and his kids are in great shape.

But once he was in Houston, needed office supplies, and tried to walk a half-mile to a nearby office store. After navigating a landscape without sidewalks, including have to cross a small culvert while walking on the side of a road with 70 kph traffic, he took a cab back.

The highest correlation to weight is when your neighbourhood was built. If it was built before 1960, your chances of being obese are low. If it was built after 2000, it’s likely you’re obese, because you’re driving everywhere. Because you have to.

What is the most life-altering decision you’ve made in the spur of the moment?

I was 16 years old when I ran away from home. Parents divorced when I was nine, mom was raising seven of us by herself. I was number 4 but the oldest boy. Began working at age 10 (paper route) to give mom money to help. At 12 began de-tasseling corn, putting up hay, mowing lawns, etc. At 14 began working at a Pizza Hut as a cook. At 16, I had no life, never had a date, worked 50 hrs a week, began skipping school, drinking, running around. Doing things that could get me into trouble but not getting caught.

Friend came around and told me the cops were looking for us. I felt I had no life anyway because I was giving most of my money to my mom. We took his car (it was paid for) and ran away that night, ending up in Texas (from Missouri) a couple of days later. We got jobs, an apartment (with a guy from work) and began again drinking (in Mexican bars). No serious crime, never drugs, but heading down the wrong path. High school drop out, runaway, trouble seeking.

After a few months of sharing the apartment, our roommate showed his true colors, disappearing with our rent money and we were evicted. Was able to find a room to rent from an elderly woman, but my paycheck was a few days late so she locked me out. I was homeless for a while until my boss (another Pizza Hut) allowed me to sleep in the restaurant. One day, as we were getting off of work, my friend suggested we join the Marine Corps. I said, “OK, what’s that?” It was 1973 and I had no clue what the Marine Corps was.

Though we were only 16, we enlisted and were sent to recruit training. I don’t remember being asked my age but we were tall for our age and scored well on the ASVAB test. In any event, we were found out on the second day of training and sent back to Texas. I learned that you could enlist at age 17 with a parent’s signature, my mom agreed to it and I reported to boot camp again right after my 17th birthday. The rest is history.

Boot camp was HARD! My drill instructors pushed us hard and would not let me quit. They instilled a self-discipline and confidence that I had been lacking. My first duty station, I served under a 1stSgt (senior enlisted) who, though still firm and demanding, I looked at him as the proud, encouraging father that had been missing from my life.

I ended up serving on active duty for almost 26 years, married, raised a daughter and four sons. All of my children have served or are currently serving. The GI bill paid for my college degree, leading to a 15 year teaching career that I retired from last year.

Two spur of the moment decisions, one with negative, potential life-altering consequences, the other absolutely changed my life for the better.

For information, a few years after enlisting in the Marines, I learned that the cops that were looking for us (that spurred our decision to run away) were truancy officers. Sheesh!

How do you rate Chinese scientific prowess with that of the West lately?

Overall ?

Experts estimate that China’s Scientific roadmap at present is between 33% to 130% in various fields with those of the Western Nations

This is based on Research Papers published and accredited outside their country, Viable Patents (Patents that survive beyond 3 years and go to prototype stage), Number of Doctorate Students, Number of Post Graduates and Research Funding vs Application

Take Semiconductors

Overall, China is Sixth behind US, Netherlands, Japan, South Korea and Germany

Take Construction Technology

China is Number 1 , surging ahead of Japan in 2021

Take Geotechnical Engineering and Structural Engineering

China is Number 1 beating Canada and Israel in 2019 and 2022

Take Satellite Design and Fabrication

China is 2nd behind the US

Yet while US owns around 19 Core Technologies, China owns 13 and relies on the other 6 by less quality substitutions

However US took 47 years to develop these core technologies whereas China took a mere 7 years

Take Aeronautical Engineering

China is Seventh after USA, Germany, UK, Russia, France, Sweden

Take Robotics

China is Third in Cosmetic Robotics after Japan, S Korea beating US to fourth place

China is Fourth in Advanced Robotics after US, Japan and S Korea

China is First in Industrial Robotics beating S Korea in 2021

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Areas where the Chinese Scientific Roadmap is way behind that of the West :—

• Astrophysics
• Nuclear Chemistry
• Advanced Cellular Research
• DNA and Genome Analysis
• Virology & Serology (*)
• Micro-engineering
• Advanced Processors

In these areas China spends less than 25% of what the US spends on Core Research and less than 50% on Evolutionary Research

Except Advanced Processors where China spends around 310% of what the US spends on secondary research and 185% on Core research.

Thus China is between 25–40% where US is in these fields

(*) Experts Believe China is far ahead in Virology and Serology than it claims due to security reasons

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Areas where Chinese Scientific Roadmap is on par with or almost on par with the Western Roadmap:—

• Artificial Intelligence
• Quantum Computing
• Advanced Computing
• Satellite Engineering
• Integrated Software
• Packed Algorithms
• Immunology (Vaccine related)
• Medical Equipment (High Grade)
• Quality Engineering
• Core Science
• Advanced Physics
• Advanced Mathematics
• Precision Engineering

In these areas China spends between 55% to 200% of what US spends and is anywhere between 60% to 90% of where the US is today

Experts believe without the export ban, China could overtake the US in these areas by 2030. Now it’s likely 2040.

---

Areas where the Chinese scientific Roadmap is ahead of the US and the West :—

• Mineral Extraction
• Deep Sea Bore Tunnelling
• Agricultural Sciences
• Hydraulics and Hydrology
• Construction Technology
• Rare Earth Extraction and Development
• Transportation Engineering
• Low cost engineering
• Industrial Engineering
• Production Engineering
• Manufacturing Engineering
• Thorium Salt Reactor Engineering

Chinas Road Map is ahead of the US and the West in these areas

China leads the world in most of these fields and controls the most core technologies and most unique indigenous processes for itself and depends on nobody beyond raw materials

---

So as an outsider, China may be roughly say 70% of where the US and the Collective West is today — overall as far as Scientific Progress is concerned

Japan is around 80%

So what’s so worrying?

TIME

Japan took nearly 57 years to reach this level of scientific depth with massive massive western cooperation

China took a mere 16 years with minimal western cooperation

Oh SH*T! Now Kenya is INVADING Haiti?

The U.S. government will provide Kenya with the “resources” – presumably this means money, weapons and training – necessary to lead an invasion of Haiti, pending UNSC approval. Kenya will conduct an assessment mission to Haiti in the coming weeks. So, we’ve outsourced the invasion of Haiti. Why? Redacted correspondent Dan Cohen reports on this.

What are the most bizarre appliance repair stories you’ve encountered?

One of the weirdest I have was years ago, back when the old analogue CRT TV’s were still the norm…

One had gone into ‘black and white’- a common issue when the signal strength dropped too far…

The complaint was ‘TV needs colour refilling and leak fixed, it has run out on the carpet and is now black and white’

Um WTF???

And yes- the TV was black and white (and a bit ‘snowy’) ie low signal strength, and there were indeed a couple of stains on the carpet under it, a red one and a greenish/blueish one right next to it…

UM again, WTF???

The real fault???

The balun on the TV antenna had lost its plastic cover, and it had filled with water- which had run down the old ‘air spaced coax’ which acted like a hose- right into the back of the TV…

Thats it on the left- and each of those ‘air spaces’ is completely open from end to end… like tiny little hoses… (ETA these are the inner cores, both coax cables obviously have a woven metal ‘shield’ and a pvc insulation outer cover- these have been cut away to show the inner wire and the insulation for clarity)

The balun is the black box under the antenna itself (except this ones on the bottom, not the top like the one in the story- obviously this wasn’t the only time it had happened…lol)

What had happened was each time it rained, it filled the balun on the antenna and sent water down the coax into the TV, and that was corroding various parts of the socket, and other things inside…

The greenish/blue was copper oxide from the copper conductor, and the reddish stain was rust from the metal chassis and screws… And because of the corrosion in the socket, the signal strength had dropped, meaning it dropped back to ‘black and white’

So the lady concerned (who had no technical knowledge of how TVs worked of course) rang it in with ‘the colour needs refilling in my TV, its leaked and run out over the carpet’

Why is most everything made/assembled in China?

I have been traveling a lot to China for the production of IoT products. This falls on the Engineering triangle. China can produce Quality, Fast, Cheap.

I feel all the answers about cheaper labor is missing the point of the question. Since the majority of the third world countries have cheaper labor. From most of Africa, South America, India, and so on… Cheap labor has already been pointed out. Here are a few more:

Mostly because it has a billion people, about the same as the rest of the developed world combined, but isn’t yet developed enough to be heavy in service industries.

China has invested a lot in infrastructure. Factories have reliable power, good highway and rail system to port, and large modern ports.

Educated, young and reliable labor force. People that can read and a good primary school science education.

Stable government policies. Companies know from year to year what the government will do. No surprise revolutions, uprising, and riots.

Good neighbors. The majority of the Chinese factories are owned by Japanese, Taiwanese, Singaporeans and South Korean.

The economy of scale. If you are making shirts, you want to be near button factories, zipper factories, and so on.

About the Quality, time, Cost. You can only pick 2.

If it is Time and Cost:

A bulk of Chinese products are designed to be available fast and cheap. Therefore the “Good” suffers. And it’s because of the fast and cheap, those items generally fail quicker than their other counterparts.

If you pick Quality and Time:

China has the capacity for quality items too, the bulk of electronics like Lenovo, Apple products come from China. They are generally high quality and available immediately. But those products are not always “Cheap.” Let me ask you this? Do Apple products have this reputation?

China only makes whatever quality someone is willing to pay for. iPhones are made in China but you don’t see people complaining about the build quality on them.

Lastly, when you see a product with “made in China” sticker, it’s not all made in China. China usually is the assembly point for most products, the parts come from a wider range of places.

Chinese girls ‘way ahead’ says UK education study

Girls scored better than boys in every ethnic group, and Chinese girls were well ahead of everyone else, says a study of UK academic achievement of 16-year-olds. People of Irish origin were ahead of Brits, contrary to popular prejudices!

What is a real meaning of success?

We spent the weekend at my parents (in-law) to celebrate my mom’s birthday. We had a fire:

(The picture of the fire is too beautiful not to share, so I’m sharing)

After the fire lit up, my mom decided to get some s’mores. My dad looked at her walking inside the house, and told us, ‘I want to outlive her, so she won’t have to live a day alone, missing me.’

I think, my mom has succeeded in life, having someone loves her that much.

Is that the true meaning of success?

Putin launches DEVASTATING assault on Ukraine as NATO plan crumbles

NATO has been pushing Ukraine to launch massive armored offensives instead of small scale pin prick attacks. This plan has been devastating to the Ukrainian army which has come under intense air and ground attacks by the Russian army. Is it NATO’s plan to finish off what’s left of Ukraine’s military? Former U.N. weapons inspector Scott Ritter joins us for tonight’s live show.

Subway tip

If you ever fall off the edge of a platform on to the tracks, don’t try and crawl back up, there’s a crawl space built underneath in case this happens.

What would happen if men let women do anything they wanted?

This is exactly why I have to move 2–3 throw pillows any time I want to sit down anywhere in my house, and then I’m expected to put them back on that seat when I’m done.

I just counted. There are 45 throw pillows in the living room, den, and basement sitting areas. We have another half-dozen throw pillows for our outside seating area, but those are in storage for the winter.

The women in my life… my wife and oldest daughter… are 100% responsible for all of these completely pointless, pain-in-the-ass pillows.

This is what will happen when you let the women you live with do anything they want. If you’re a young man who is thinking of getting married, I highly recommend that you keep your woman’s throw pillow purchasing in check early in the marriage. So many habits that you’ll have to live with for the rest of your life are established in those first few months of marriage. Unless you’re comfortable with seeing this every time you walk into any room with a seat, you need to put your foot down and stop it early:

This Is The Protest Song Of Our Generation

This is what is going on RIGHT NOW.

Do you like China?

Several years ago, I had the distinct privilege of teaching for a year in China. How lucky I was! The people were so considerate, kind and helpful. The students were hard working and totally engrossed in learning. The parents super supportive. Assignments were done on time and to perfection. The pride expressed in everything was so refreshing. I return regularly to see my former students and friends. The experience changed my life and how I respond to life. Truly a gift!

Famous Actors Who Died in the last 12 months

Well…

What do you love but are embarrassed to admit to it?

Being the true American male that I am, I have more fishing poles than necessary. I have three for me, and two for my kids. I’d have one for my wife, if she wanted one. She doesn’t. I’ve asked multiple times.

I take my younger children fishing whenever possible. I pick one of my poles, and they each have their own pole. My son has a Spiderman one, and my daughter has a Barbie one. Before the gender stereotype police come after me, I want everyone to know that I let them pick out their own poles, and that’s what they chose.

Anyway, I carry my pole with me to the fishing spot, where it sits on the ground while I fish with my 4-year-old daughter’s Barbie fishing pole. She has an attention span for fishing of about five minutes, so I don’t have to take the pole from her. She just sets it down and walks away, and I pick it up and use it for the rest of the time.

She usually explores the shoreline, throws rocks in the water, names the worms we’re using for bait, or just sits and chats with us. She’s not bored… she just doesn’t want to fish.

And that’s fine with me, because I prefer her children’s Barbie fishing pole to mine. It’s short and easy to use and does everything I need it to do: cast out, and come back in. My grown-up pole has some features that I don’t use and just over-complicate a simple process.

I get good results with it too. I’m going to keep using it until I have a reason not to. If you’re in the Chicago area and you see a giant man using a tiny pink fishing pole, don’t be too judgmental of him.

This is NOT me in this picture, but this is the same pole that I’m talking about. This is roughly what I look like when I go fishing now:

Colorized | The Cosmic Man 1959 | John Carradine | Sci-Fi | Thriller | Full Movie | Subtitles

Today’s treat. Full video.

1950 era science fiction.

I would rate this movie along with Star Trek IV and The Day The Earth Stood Still as being the most positive-minded when it comes to the portrayal of extraterrestrials and the message being presented by them to the people of Earth. 

It definitely shows that fear is the default state of Man's way of looking at matters be it toward extraterrestrials or himself and his fellow creatures, and that a new way of thinking is required in order to live life as he is meant to do so, that is to say, a decent, more enlightened and beneficent way to live with his fellow creatures here on Earth as well as those who live out in the vast depths of outer space. 

Only then can Man truly call himself a civilized and advanced being. And who is to say that extraterrestrials aren't among us right now making use of materials here on Earth to benefit both themselves, and trying to create a better existence for mankind as a whole!!!