The last few years have been years of miscalculation for the West. Big things have been planned and put into action, and failed. 

All the wars, all the sanctions, all domestic and economic ‘initiatives’, and all responses to what the adversaries have done are failing or have already failed. 

In fact, the failure of any venture by the West has become almost guaranteed. 

This has a lot of people scratching their heads – they simply can’t fathom how this can happen.

At the same time the real goals of the western political class have come under increased scrutiny. 

Everything they do seems to be designed to make things worse for western societies on all levels, including economic, social, health, and so on and so forth. Why, exactly, is that?

-Gaius Baltar

 

 

At every level, under every measurement, the United States, and it’s proxy nations are all undergoing collapse.

Not just starting to.

No.

They are in full late-stage free-fall.

It is a true laugh when the Western propaganda says that China is “going to collapse”, yet it is the West that is so blatantly obviously collapsing.

…

China DOES NOT WANT to best, or best, or rule over the United States. It really doesn’t. The Chinese just want to live their lives peacefully.

The problem is not with China, nor the Chinese people. The problem lies with the massive, just massive levels of incompetence in the West.

…

As the ship burns, the people fight each other on the deck of the ship… as the explosions shake the vessel, and fires appear out from the gloom, the ship continues to sink into the depths of the dark icy unforgiving sea.

China, and the Chinese cannot stop it.

But… but…

…The life boats have all been looted years ago, dry rot has crept in, and they are completely worthless. The Captain, is muttering something about liking pudding for dinner, and the executive officers are all looting everything that isn’t nailed down.

You would think that someone would be on the wireless trying to ask for help, but the copper wires were cut and sold for profit decades ago. BANG! Another firefight on deck…

BANG! Then, CRASH!

There’s an open commotion on deck…

…

China looks on with great sadness. Americans who have rowed away from the sinking Goliath hang their heads in shame and sadness… but most of the people on the vessel don’t realize just how dire the situation actually is.

A seaman points to a point on the horizon. “See” he yells over the din… “It’s Russia’s fault”. Another person punches him. “No! You fool! It’s China’s fault” as he peers though a telescope.

…

The water is reaching the deck. The lights are still on.

And suddenly everyone hears this massive noise from the bowels of the vessel….

…

Did I miss anything?

China doesn’t want to beat the USA. They want to help, but there is an old saying… “never get involved with a crazed old man with a gun”.

China is just standing aside and watching the ship sink into the cold, cold ocean.

…

Poor infrastructure. Rampant corruption. Horrible inflation.

No work, anger everywhere, and even the most basic tenements of society; families, relationships between men and womem are completely off the rails. In fact, when you watch the videos herein, you see exactly how bad things actually are.

They are frightening.

The old games, so routinely employed by the West; “color revolutions”, “wars”, economic coercion, and so forth… no longer work.

And it is all boomeranging back to the United States. And it’s really bad right now.

Centuries worth.

I think that it is important for you here in mm land to see how bad things are. Watch all the videos, no matter how boring or distasteful they are. And then finish with the last video… a AI generated trickle of hope for a renewed past.

Have fun…

 

Did a teacher ever try to embarrass you in class but you had a brilliant response?

I was taking classes at a private uni here in Thailand so that I could better understand my adopted country. I had been living and teaching here for around 20 years at this point.

In most classes, I was waaaay older than the other students and older than 90% of my teachers.

I was an oddity: Thais are not into continuing education for older people (except some master’s and PhD programs), and the classes I attended were all regular BA/BS classes. In addtion, I am a foreigner.

The classes were in English, presented by Thai speakers of English.

One Sociology professor was NOT happy that I was in his class. When I asked a question or when he glanced at me, his face became cold and stern. At times, he openly disparaged my questions and comments, feigning being affronted, even though I was careful to use neutral language.

I did my best to let it and the stares of my classmates go; I was there to learn.

He handed out photocopied reading materials (the class had no assigned texts) that were often beyond the reading abilities of the Thai students. My offers to help were silently rejected (???) , so I stepped back.

But then he gave us a 10-page reading, written (in English) by an Indonesian scholar that even I couldn’t understand.

Some pages were totally filled with only one, single-spaced paragraph that included only very, very long, compound-complex sentences, using jargon specific to sociology. The organization was convoluted.

I am an avid reader, plus I taught academic and business reading, but I could not decipher the writer’s main points.

So I went to the professor for insights.

What I got were snide remarks about my inability to read my own language.

Big mistake. Huge.

I apologized for my inability to understand the concepts and jargon of his field (inflating his sense of superiority); he looked very smug.

Before I continue, let me say that the apology and the way I further responded was learned from watching Thais and how they expertly handle situations. I had learned that attacking works against me since confrontation is very much frowned upon here.

The apology was not sincere. It was to make him feel comfy, in control. Inside I was seething, horrified that a professor would treat a student who was asking for help in this way.

Knowing he was a misogynist, I acted submissive and said (eyes lowered), “I have taught reading at A.U.A. Language Center and at Chulalongkorn University (Thailand’s #1 uni), Mahidol (Thailand’s #3) and am at Sasin (Thailand’s #1 business school). I have prepared students who ultimately studied at Yale, Harvard, Stanford and Cambridge and other top unis, but I guess I’m not good enough to understand this scholar. So I am asking for your insights.”

When I looked up as I asked for his insights, I saw that the smug sneer had been replaced with (satisfying) shock.

I maintained submissive, respectful body language.

Pointing to the introductory summary, I asked if the scholar meant XXXX. Silence.

Still not looking at him, I then asked, “What was the focus of the first portion of the paragraph?” There was more silence and then a hesitant, half-axxed answer, so two more questions followed with the same kind of inadequate responses.

I now knew he had not read/ analyzed the reading himself.

I didn’t say a thing. He knew that I knew when I looked at him directly and said nothing.

I then thanked him for his time, gave a polite ‘wai’ and left.

At our next class, he announced that after a conversation with ‘Ajarn’ (Professor) Verneita, he had decided to remove that particular reading but replace it with a clearer, 2-page one.

What just happened?

He gave me respect by calling me ‘Professor.’. As far as most people knew, I was a student.

He also showed respect when he recognized me as part of the decision process.

Replacing the original document was to show that he was still in control and that he was being kind to the students.

He was protecting himself by doing all of the above.

If I complained to admin, he could say that he had listened to another professor (me) and had acted in the best interests of the class. (If he had shown disrespect to me in countering, he would have lost some admin support).

Also, if I had complained, I would have been judged as disrespectful towards a professor who had openly shown ME respect.

This game-playing is a part of a very complex culture that is often perceived as being simplistic by those who don’t speak enough Thai to understand the nuances or who would prefer to not analyze what goes on.

If I had been a simple young student, the story would have been very different.

Food for more stories!

How much can you change about yourself in 5 years?

Actually, quite a lot.

5 years ago, I was 29 years old. I was married and heavily involved in an “end of the world” cult and actively went door to door in the hope of recruiting members. My wife and I were born into this cult, we knew of nothing else. We believed that the outside world was evil, corrupt, dangerous and controlled by Satan. At 29 years old I had only a high school education as university is considered “dangerous” as it encourages critical thinking (something the cult doesn’t want it’s member doing).

Then, in April 2014 something happened…

My daughter was born.

Suddenly a lot of thoughts came racing into my head at the same time.

• If she needs a blood transfusion, I’d be expected to say no and let her bleed to death. I would never do that.
• If she ever left the cult I’d be expected to completely shun her and pretend she’s dead. I would never do that.
• If she ever shows talent or aptitude I’d be expected to force her to suppress them and work for the cult for free. I would never do that.
• If she ever wants to go to university I’d be expected to report her to the leaders and convince her not to go. To even be ashamed if she ever did go to university. I would never do that.
• She won’t be allowed to celebrate her birthday.
• She won’t be allowed to be taught about other religions.
• She’ll be told about Satan and the end of the world and I’d be expected to teach her fear and about an angry god who will kill her unless she’s a Jehovah’s Witness.
• I will only be allowed tell her about the cult and how we’re right and everyone else is wrong.

Seeing my child in my arms, I saw a new start. This was a person with no preconceived ideas, no bias, no loyalty to anyone or anything. I decided right then and there that I loved someone more than even god himself.

That was a real mindf**k on its own.

You see, we were conditioned to love the cult and love god (who can only be worshipped through the cult) more than our own family and more than ourselves. In fact, if anyone leaves the cult we’re to shun them. But here I was feeling this feeling, this overwhelming feeling of complete love for someone – even more than the cult.

The fact that I’d disobey the cult and allow blood transfusions and allow freedom of thought told me that maybe I didn’t really believe the cult. At this stage I secretly told myself that I believed 80% of it.

Fast forward, 2 years later after a lot of research and being honest with myself and others I left the cult. Immediately I lost my entire family and “friends” that I’d known since birth. My then-wife took our daughter and went to live with her parents (who are also cult members). Fortunately, in the real world we have lawyers. I ended up getting full custody of our daughter, in part because my then-wife admitted she would allow the cult to make medical decisions for our daughter whereas I always said I’d do what’s necessary to keep her alive and healthy. I was open and accepting of other people whereas the cult isolates and vilifies non-members. I also signed up for university to study Psychology and counselling, specialising in cults and high control groups.

My wife and I then got divorced.

In another 2 years I completed my undergraduate degree. My ex-wife left the cult too after seeing how happy and easy my life was compared to hers. Also, our daughter would openly say things that didn’t make sense to her which got my ex-wife thinking. Things like “Nana doesn’t talk to my daddy anymore. I would never stop talking to you – I love you”. And “If someone said I could live forever but without my daddy I’d tell them to go away”.

A year later (5 years now), I’m a Psychologist and therapist who’s helped 4 people on Quora leave the Jehovah’s Witness cult, ended about 25 “bible studies” that people were having with Jehovah’s Witnesses, helped concerned relatives who’s family were studying with the cult and in person helped many people. All for free by the way. I also work as a models photographer and have my own business that brings in a steady income. I could make money from counselling but I choose not to as people need help. I wouldn’t want to profit from helping people leave high control groups.

I also helped two lesbian couples conceive a child and they both gave birth this year.

My daughter is a happy, well adjusted person who never has to fear being shunned by her parents – her cousins, unfortunately, can’t say that about their parents.

1000% but…

Has anyone ever left a job because they disagreed with their employer’s actions or mission?

My husband and I both drove school busses in Claxton, Georgia several years ago. I drove special needs busses during the school day, and was a substitute driver for the morning and evening driver’s.

My husband was given the worst, or hardest bus route . The one that nobody wants because the inner city with the poor and rough kids. The one’s that are basically raising themselves in the streets. Michael was having a hard time from a few of the student’s on his bus. Especially the high school aged kids with all those hormones going crazy.

My husband had to have a surgical procedure, and he had complications which kept him out of driving for about two weeks. Man I hated driving that bus! Our supervisor had to drive it the most while I was driving for someone else.

My husband had to have a mesh up in for a surgical hernia, it took11 incisions to tack it in.

When Michael went back to the job he was trying to tell our supervisor that these kids were getting worse and the situation was escalating. And even went so far as to finish his route, and stop by the board of education to speak with the head man over the school system. ( I’m getting tired and can’t think of the technical name of his position) about the situation.

Nothing was done to help him out. The following morning a sister, and brother that Michael had been writing up, and had suspended off of the bus started in on him as soon as they had gotten in the door. With the older sister cussing at him, and her brother started by trying to grab up the fire extinguisher to hit him. When he couldn’t unlatch the fire extinguisher the boy grabbed up Michael’s tire bat, and struck him over the top of his head.Michael knocked the boy off of his bus, shut the door and called the police.

Michael was accused of using too much force and assaulting a minor. And was told to quit or be terminated,.

The following day we both resigned. Michael was kept off,and I worked off a two week notice.

We ended up spending $2000.00 retainer fee for a good attorney in Statesboro. And the same attorney also ended up working for the school telling staff how to handle situations like this without getting into trouble.

I will never work in the school system again.

Chase (another answer to everyone’s big question…)

What is the reason for America owing China a large amount of money? What are the potential consequences if the debt is not repaid?

The U.S. owes the entire world a lot of money. The biggest creditor nation by a very long shot is Japan. Not China! In fact the owner all the debts the US has is not payable in a hundred years without the U.S. printing money and selling more debts to pay just the interest it is compelled to pay!

What is it simply don’t pay up! It sounds nice to a white racist guy who thinks from a racist superiority complex mindset right?

Well it is call a debt default. The U.S. will then either not get credit anymore or has to pay an astronomical premium in interest to borrow money! That will destroy the U.S. dollar and the US economy to the point of hyperinflation and a run on U.S. banks.

That is not a good option is it? If you are intelligent which I suspect you are not! Why don’t you ask why does the US becomes so indebted to the world and the U.S. government do indebted to its own American people?

It is no different from you who spend as though there is no tomorrow and borrow money from everyone you know to sustain your expenses. You basically don’t make anything that anyone wants! To earn their money but wants a shining new toys everyday. That is what the US does. It wants to spend more on weapons than the next 20 nations put together? Can it?

Yes it can but it will bankrupt the U.S. that U.S. precisely what happened over the last 50 years or so!

 

 

Does a boss ever get in trouble when a staff member quits?

I had a friend who was working in an office in Atlanta when the “snowpocalypse” rolled through.

The day before, a great many people in the office wanted to work from home when the storm hit. Their boss was from Michigan and threw a fit, saying a few inches of snow was no excuse and that anyone who failed to come in that day would be fired.

Well that day came, and the traffic accidents were horrific because guess what, it’s not about the snow but is about the people who drive in it. Everyone in the office struggled to get in but they were there… except for Mr. Bossman. That idiot called in due to unsafe conditions.

So the entire building walked out at lunch and worked the rest of the day from home. When the boss tried calling the office no one was there and he was furious, promising retribution.

However, when Corporate found out that he had caused the ENTIRE BUILDING to walk out, they got rid of him immediately. They knew the truth; it doesn’t matter what skills a manager has, if he creates a toxic environment then he drives away the real talent and value of the company, the employees.

Tomato and Bread Salad (Panzanella)

This is best if you use very ripe tomatoes.

Ingredients

• 4 cups 1-inch pieces stale Italian or French bread
• 2 medium tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 medium green bell pepper, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1/3 cup snipped fresh basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons snipped parsley
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

1. Mix bread, tomatoes, garlic, green pepper, basil and parsley.
2. Shake remaining ingredients in tightly covered container. Pour over bread mixture; toss. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
3. Garnish with Kalamata or Greek olives if desired.

 

I hope this helps you all out

What was the thing that kept you alive in your lowest point in life?

I was going to kill myself. I had my suicide planned out. I was going to get some dry ice, it’s heavier than air, and fill my room with it, get really drunk, lay down on my bedroom floor with my cats and suffocate in my sleep.

I’d gone from having everything… a beautiful wonderful wife, job, bought a house was going to start a family. I’d started school again to finish that engineering degree that I put on hold decades ago.

Then, my wife left..not just left but assaulted me violently, cheated, went completely berzerk. I found out later she’d stolen money from work and bet on a horse, Smarty Jones, that was a “sure thing” to win the triple crown that year. She was facing prison time.

She thought she could get enough money out of me to buy herself out of trouble, so burned through attorney after attorney. A two year marraige turned into a 4 year divorce. I was broke, well over $30k in debt to credit cards and the university. The utilities were overdue, mortgage was overdue, the bank was sending people over putting chalk marks on the door getting ready to foreclose and evict me and my cats into the street.

So, I was concerned about how I was going to be found. I started getting “funeral attire” ready. I’d mail a letter to the local police, they’d get it after I was gone. It would explain everything.

While ironing my jacket, I noticed the collar was worn. So, I put an iron-on patch on it to make it look better. The patch didn’t match the color of the jacket and really stood out. It looked like a hobo’s jacket.

That’s when I noticed how worn all my clothes were. And I realized I’d be found wearing rags. I was more ashamed of that than anything else. So, I decided to think on it for awhile…after all, did it matter if I died today, or in a few days, right? And, I still had a few bowls of homemade soup..don’t want those to go to waste?

That began the process of me assessing what I had to work with, versuse dwelling on what I had lost. I felt like, somehow, if I could just spend some time thinking things through, I’d come up with something. I didn’t know what I was going to do, but, I felt better.

Then, a coule of days later, the letter came.

It was from the Government. Not good I though, from the DoD..even worse.

I opened it thinking “Well, I was going to kill myself a few days ago, that’s still a viable option”….and read it.

It said “Dear Mr. S. We’ve found an accouting error in your pay for your service while deployed. We owe you $5000. If you would like it, please go to this website and enter your banking information”.

“IF I WOULD LIKE IT”?!?!….shit….

So, went to the website. Entered my banking info and ssn, etc. by the end of the week, the money was in my account. It got me through school long enough that by the time it ran out, the Post 9–11 GI bill had come out, and that paid the rest of the way through school. Now I’m a big shot engineer with a giant house and a fridge full of food.

It’s been 20 years now. I still have that jacket. I want to keep it so someday I can be buried in it.

This Graphs Proves What Married Men Already Know

i tell you what boys it really does pay to educate yourself on female psychology.

Why is the US a strong supporter of democracy everywhere?

I literally laughed out loud at this, and loudly, because it’s so completely absurd to say that it really is morbidly hilarious.

We are not a supporter of democracy at all. Our elites don’t even want democracy here, let alone anywhere else. We have toppled so many democratically elected governments and replaced them with dictators on the CIA payroll that I have literally lost count of them all. We are supporting a coup in Venezuela right now, to overthrow Maduro, who, like him or not, was elected more fairly than Trump and is certainly far more popular in his own country.

The reason why we are against democracy everywhere is that if third world countries are under the control of their own people then they might refuse to sell their resources to our military-industrial complex. We invade them to steal the oil and metal that we need to make more weapons that we can use to invade the next country.

If British Imperialism was brazen and naked, then American Imperialism wears nothing more than a g-string.

Even the allies that we call “democracies” like Turkey, Israel, and now Brazil under Bolsonaro, are really just fascist police states who are not much better than the worst government in the world, our main ally, Saudi Arabia, who we are currently assisting in their genocide of the Yemeni people.

Most of the terrorists and dictators in the world have had US backing at some point. (North Korea is more like the exception that proves the rule.) Reagan allied with the Taliban and Al Queda in Afghanistan. We helped to found ISIS and we’re still funding and arming them.

Elliot Abrams is an expert on and veteran of committing genocide and now Trump wants him in his cabinet. Ilhan Omar called him out on it, but she got smeared as supposedly “antisemitic” because she opposed Israel’s purchase of her congressional colleagues. That got a ton of press coverage, but her grilling of Abrams? Not so much.

You can’t enforce democracy at the barrel of a gun. Don’t be naive as to what guns are used for.

This New Study Makes Women Look SO BAD!

The conclusions in this is DAMMING for the Western society.

A must watch.

 

 

 

What was your most regretful “I tried to tell you…” moment?

A friend had divorced her husband. She had discovered, while pregnant with their first child, that he was having an affair. One month after she gave birth, he moved out. He and the girlfriend were seen all around town. On weekends when he had the baby, people would see them out with the girlfriend, treating the baby like he was hers.

My friend’s ex would not leave her alone. He wanted the girlfriend, but he also wanted his ex. After eighteen months of this, my friend called me. She was going to remarry him. She asked me what I thought. I knew she wanted her family back together. But I knew he couldn’t be trusted.

So I hedged my answer. I asked her, “What are you going to think when he comes home late from the gym? (That was where he met the girlfriend) What are you going to think when he starts walking outside to talk on his phone? What are you going to think when you call his office and his secretary can’t tell you where he is? And he isn’t answering your calls? Please, please just consider all this.”

She told me she would. Then she went with him to the local Justice of the Peace, and for the second time, married him.

They moved into a beautiful new home. There were hiccups. Basically, his drinking. But they stuck it out. She got pregnant. Triplets.

A few years later, I got the call. She was seeing the signs. Going outside to take phone calls. Disappearing from work. Not taking her calls.

She figured out who the girlfriend was. She filed for divorce. What made it worse was, she discovered he had been having multiple “mini” flings with various women. All whom she knew.

During a conversation with her, she asked me, “Why didn’t you stop me from remarrying him?”

I told her the truth. “You didn’t want to hear it.”

This is the reality.

A 25% tariff makes the United States seem to be 25% than it actually is (actually, it’s more like 18% but you get my picture.)

How did the Japanese public view Japanese veterans immediately after World War Two?

With contempt and disgust in general

Resentment toward the military had existed during the war and intensified as the war situation deteriorated for Japan toward the end. To understand this, it is necessary to understand the circumstances that engendered such resentment.

Long before Pearl Harbor started, rationing had begun in 1940. The commodities subjected to rationing were rice, sugar, salt, matches to enable the government to build up stocks in anticipation of siege. Austerity became the way of life. Geisha houses were closed down. Neon lighting in Tokyo’s famed Ginza district was turned off. A monthly family fast was introduced.

Starting in 1944, American submarine blockades exacted a heavy toll on Japanese economy and the lives of millions of Japanese civilians. Being an islands nation, Japan depended heavily on imports to sustain industrial production and for survival by imported foodstuffs. American submarines prevented most of that from reaching the home islands. Daily Japanese calorie intake, only 2,000 before Pearl Harbor, fell to 1,900 in 1944, and would drop to 1,680 in 1945. By contrast, British daily calorie intake never fell below 2,800, even in the darkest days of 1940–1941. An American soldier in the Pacific received daily calorie intake of 4,758. This resulted in malnutrition which led to beriberi and made people more susceptible to other illnesses. Productivity dropped as workers were hungry. Absenteeism mounted as factory workers went seeking out foods for their families instead of going to work. Another reason for absenteeism was to avoid being killed by American bombs dropped on urban industrial areas.

But while civilians endured hunger on a continual basis, the rich and the armed forces ate heartily because the militarists wanted to continue fighting and so soldiers had to eat. Thus, civilian resentment toward the military developed.

Moreover, starting from 1944 onwards, American B-29s launched from the Marianas and Okinawa razed Japanese cities to the ground in a ruthless incendiary bombing campaign, destroying large swaths of urban areas, killing thousands to tens of thousands while rendering millions homeless. Japanese air force proved incapable of stopping American bombers because of all American B-29s lost over Japan, only an inconsiderable percentage of the losses were due to enemy action, the rest were due to mechanical failure, poor weather or accidents. It had a massive psychological impact on the Japanese. No one could fail to be impressed by the spectacle of hundreds of silvery B-29s streaming in the sky raining down death and destruction with near impunity. The very awareness of American bombers attacking with near impunity and the inability of the Japanese air force to stop them intensified the anger and distrust civilians had toward the military, a proof of military impotence. They must have wondered why the military could not protect the home islands and civilians from enemy attack. Yoichi Watanuki, a schoolboy bitterly said to this mother: “Surely we have lost the war because our soldiers were not good enough. They told us a Divine Wind would come and it didn’t. They lied to us, didn’t they?”

As a consequence, when Japan submitted to unconditional surrender, civilians who had endured years of hardship and exhaustion showed undisguised contempt toward former members of the military.

Many repatriated veterans were ill-prepared for the poor treatment dished out at them upon returning. Communities that had celebrated their departure with parties and parades and supplied them with comfort packages and “thousand-stitch” belly belt did not welcome them back. After all, they were losers who not only had failed to defend their people and country but also had the audacity to return home alive. In addition, haunted by the humiliating defeat and the horrific consequences of the war, many Japanese civilians were desperate to forget everything associated with that painful consciousness; and shunning returning veterans who reminded them of that consciousness was a manifestation of that attempt to forget the past.

Those who returned from Soviet captivity were treated with suspicion on the grounds that they might have been subjected to intense Communist indoctrination and turned into covert Communist agents. Now that they had returned, there was the concern that they might support and engage in subversive Communist activities in Japan.

Following defeat, military discipline collapsed and servicemen stationed in the home islands deserted their units. Many of them, both officers and enlisted men, engaged in looting military stores for their own uses. When destitute civilians who had almost nothing saw military men with something, their resentment and anger toward the military only hardened.

What’s more? The influx of repatriated veterans was accompanied by an influx of information about wartime atrocities committed by the Emperor’s soldiers. Once civilians became aware of the atrocities, ex-servicemen found themselves regarded not just as men who had failed disastrously to fulfill their duty but as despicable criminals who had committed war atrocities. References to glares of withering contempt and disgust that acquaintances and strangers alike directed at them became a familiar occurrences in veterans’ letters to the press. As a side note, despite revelations of atrocities, it never developed into a truly widespread popular acknowledgement of Japan as aggressor and victimizer rather than as victim because of censorship by MacArthur’s administration. (See more here: Werner Hermann’s answer to Do the Japanese have shame for the military crimes committed by their army in the 20th century (like the Nanking incident, for instance) like the Germans have shame for theirs during World War II?)

This predicament faced by veterans was best expressed in the following excerpt published in the Asahi on June 9th 1946 which poignantly recounted his depressing homecoming:

I returned to Japan from the southern regions on May 20. My house was burned, my wife and children missing. What little money I had quickly was consumed by the high prices, and I was a pitiful figure. Not a single person gave me a kind word. Rather, they cast hostile glances my way. Tormented and without work, I became possessed by a devil.

Indeed, many veterans, homeless and destitute and without support, turned to black market or other illicit activities to survive.

Veterans with disabilities were doubly stigmatized, having lost the war and their mental and physical faculty. Back then, physical handicaps and mental illness were taboos and those afflicted faced discrimination or indifference prevalent in Japanese society. As a side note, many maimed veterans, having no where to turn, defied those taboos and flaunted their disabilities and, more acutely, their pain and hardship by wearing white clothing and begging in public. In Tokyo, such tragic outcast figures haunted public places until the late 1950s

---

Reference(s)

1/ Embracing Defeat – John Dower

2/ Retribution – Max Hastings

Can you describe an average daily routine for an elderly person who lives alone?

This wont be what you want. I am only 60, therefore I am only old to some, not to most. Today, 60 is the new 40.

1. 5am get online and see the latest news.
2. 530am make coffee, a must
3. 600am – we live in the country or for you that don’t call it that in your country, outside the city limits is what we call country. Another thing that makes our language hard to learn. So I go for a walk and take it all in, the fresh air, the scenery, all of it.
4. 8am I heat my place by wood stove so if I need to I will grab the chainsaw and cut down a dead tree, then cut it all up, load it, take it back and stack it.
5. (I rarely eat breakfast) so 11am I clean my house because its the way its always been, a messy place bothers me, so a lot of touch up cleaning.
6. 12pm, lunch and computer time, usually 2 hours.
7. 2pm go to town and get stuff I need for the place, and barns, feed for the horses, groceries and pay bills.
8. 4–5pm nap time usually for 2 hours or so.
9. 6pm maybe crack open a beer or three and watch the sun go down and again, take it all in.
10. 7pm, back on the computer, its how we see the world in these times and then I will write, something like I am here or do something on TicToc. Maybe YouTube and then write the kids that are 1000’s of miles away.
11. 9pm usually ready for bed, watch some TV and then lights out.
12. 11pm, up for a snack
13. Midnight, out until 5am

You know, it differs from day to day, but thats a typical 24 hours.

Apparently Gen Z is Lazy and Doesn’t Want to Work Anymore

Worrying.

 

 

For those of you over 40, what is it that confuses you the most about young people?

For me it is what they consider to be important and how little they are prepared to do to get it, back when I was working in the office for the ambulance company I was treated to the “You old folk have it so easy, you have your own house, I would love a house but I just can’t afford it!” So after a while I grew tired of this and said “Okay! Let’s talk maybe I can help.” So I got on to “Let’s look at where your money is going, after all if you want to buy something you’ve got to check your money”. So the first obvious expense was the shiny new beamer £400 a month, then there was the holidays one all inclusive to the Caribbean,£2,000 give or take and one to South Africa 2,500 there, then we get onto the little regular things, every morning they would come in with a Starbucks and a pastry, ok only five pounds a day, 25 pounds a week shall we say a thousand pounds a year. Lunch from the sandwich truck that used to come around every day, about £10 a day.£50 a week two and a half thousand pounds a year. Saturday night and Friday night out with the friends they weren’t quite sure how much they spent then but thought it was about 75 pounds each night. 150 a week so call that 6,000 pounds a year give or take. Takeaways three or four nights a week, you get the picture. So I gently pointed out to them how I saved up the money to get the deposit on my flat, cycled into work, got up 15 minutes early, made myself a sandwich and a thermos of coffee, no car, no Friday and Saturday down at the pub and then on to the restaurant, I spent my holidays on my bike cycling round London. No takeaways I cooked my own food, didn’t go down to the football on Saturdays, Wednesdays or whenever it was on. No sky television package just the standard five channels. Didn’t buy any books went down to the library instead. You would have thought that I had threatened to rape them with a broomstick, absolute horror! “How can you expect us to live that way?” And my response was “That is how I lived to get the flat, I decided what was important and I decided that a place of my own was more important than holidays for five years, getting pissed for 5 years, and so on.”

And they still didn’t understand that sometimes if you want something important you have to give up something else!

 

 

What was the most atrocious thing you have seen from someone working in customer service?

I got a front-row seat to a usually calm and gentle, older customer service consultant, refer to a caller as “a heinous f*cking b!tch”.

Decades ago, I worked in an insurance call centre. On one of my shifts (it was slow so calls were sporadic), I was sitting next to another consultant and heard her pick up the call. This is basically what I heard (she was wearing a headset and I could only hear one side):

“Welcome to X——X Insurance, how can help you? … … Yes … … ..Ma’am I understand but If I could just… … … yes, I understand you’re upset and I want to help you but if I could just … … … I’m happy to help you but I need … … … I can’t give you that information without … … …”

Her face had gone bright red in a mixture of anger or frustration. She had a very grim look on her face but she gritted her teeth and bore with the caller.

“I’ve worked here for a while Ma’am … … … I’m unable to give out information without verifying the caller … … … Yes, I can put you through to my Manager. Please hold.”

She hit mute on the headset cord unit, turned to me and said. “Oh. My. God. What a heinous f*cking b!tch!!” … then her face went from red to completely white and her eyes snapped down to the mute button… which wasn’t lit.. and the call continued…

“I’m so sorry Ma’am. Yes, I can put you through to my Manager immediately. Please hold.”

This time she double-checked the hold button.

Image source: Yours Truly.

---

Not double-checking the mute button before cutting loose to a fellow consultant on the heinous b!tch nature of a d!ck caller is the most atrocious amateur move from someone who’d been working in customer service for as long as she had.

Always check the mute button.

FINAL NOTE: She took her headset off and ran over to the floor manager to explain, then put the call through. The manager took it in her office… it went on for a while. Then she called the consultant in.

I have no idea what the content of the inbound call was (the consultant wouldn’t say) but the company pulled the call recording… and the consultant never received a verbal or written warning for her faux pas although she was cautioned to be more professional when dealing with problem callers in the future.

 

Real truth

He speaks the truth.

Have you ever had a bad church experience?

This was the worst experience I have ever had trying to get married. I was raised Catholic, but was not going to church anymore. My cousin was a Catholic priest and was going to do the ceremony as a gift to us.

My cousin had left the Jesuit order and was freelancing while teaching at the local university. He called me 5 days before our wedding to say the local priest told him he could not do weddings in “His” parish. He reported my cousin to the bishop.

He said he could not afford to get in any more trouble, so he asked me to get permission from the local priest where we lived.

We were going to be married in my mother’s rose garden.

I went to the local parish and explained what I want to do and the priest said “absolutely not”.

I asked why and he said. “I will not permit a sacrament to be performed in an un-sanctified place,”

I said, “you mean that this brick building is more holy than a rose garden”. Probably not the wisest thing to say.

I agreed to do a quick ceremony at the church then to have a party in the rose garden, but I wanted my cousin to perform the wedding. The priest said no. When asked why, “I don’t know your cousin.” to which I replied, “But I don’t know you.”

I finally agreed to do it his way. As I was about to leave, he said. “Is your intended a Catholic?” I answer no, so he said that she would have to go to the six-week course to prepare for the ceremony in the church.

I replied, “But she went to 12 years of Catholic school, what are you going to teach her in six weeks that she doesn’t already know?”

He said, “That’s not the point; there are rules.”

So I ask him what his suggestion was.

He said to call off the wedding.

I was livid, I was so angry with the stupidity of the situation.

I went over to my father’s house and told him what was going on.

After a minute, he said, “I have a solution.” He called my cousin and it was all set.

We had a beautiful wedding in my mother’s rose garden, with my cousin doing the ceremony. The only difference was that my father stepped forward and asked the only required part: “Do you take this person to be your spouse.” My father was a judge, so he could legally do the honors. No one understood the significance of what my father did, he also signed the marriage licence. No one can prove that my cousin married us.

That was one of the last times I had anything to do with the Catholic Church.

War on men

What are some life incidents where you didn’t know how to react?

I was at a friend’s wedding. The rituals were through and the guests proceeded for food.

We were seated at a longish table. Apart from us pals, there were some other people present at the table. Probably some relatives we thought.

We got our food from the buffet and sat down to eat. There was a middle aged lady seated next to me. She tapped my shoulder and asked me if I could help her. I asked her what was the matter.

She had served some tandoori chicken and noodles for herself. Though armed with a spoon and fork, she was lost. “What am I supposed to eat with a fork and how to tackle the leg piece with a spoon?” she asked. I hesitated to reply. Telling her that her cutlery usage was not quite right for some of the food items she had selected seemed rude. We were using forks and knives for our food, but it was different as the items were boneless. But the explanation might have come across as condescending. So I asked her to eat as per her convenience.

“Use your hands if that seems comfortable” I offered.

“But all are so sophisticated here. They’ll look down upon me. I come from a small village. We don’t use all this at home. I’ll be an embarrassment for my cousin.” This is when I realised that she was the bride’s relative.

I was in a fix. That lady was so sweet and so vulnerable. Her concerns seemed so heartfelt that I did not know how to react!

I decided to do what I thought was the best solution. I ditched my own cutlery and started eating the starters with my hands. Asked her to follow suit and enjoy her food. And she did so… with a bright sunny smile. I taught her how to use a fork too and she enjoyed the slippery adventure!

I didn’t care if we were judged that day. I enjoyed my meal with a stranger. A stranger who did not try to hide her vulnerabilities and instead chose to be herself.

Being yourself is the best way to be 🙂

 

Is China accurately portrayed by Western media? Despite negative portrayals, why do people still want to visit China?

A Beijing tour guide said she had received several friends from Europe over the past month because of her work, and their reasons for coming to China varied:

• Some of them are skeptical about the China reported in the Western media, so they want to come here to see for themselves how China really looks like.
• Some of them are interested in China because they have heard the descriptions of some foreign friends who have been to China, so they want to come to China to have some fun.
• Some have lost confidence in the future of Europe and feel that it is difficult for young Europeans to find a way out no matter how hard they work, so they want to come to China to look for opportunities.

After these European friends came to China, the two words that often came to their lips were “kindness” and “hope“.

The Beijing tour guide said that she took her British friend to eat at Haidilao, where the clerk sang a birthday song to the birthday person, strangers sent their blessings to the birthday person, and the birthday person cut a cake and gave it to strangers to share with them. The British friend was very shocked to see these scenes and praised China for its special sense of humanity. Humanity – The Chinese call it “人情味”.

The Beijing tour guide took his Italian friend out for a shopping trip, and the Italian beauty was pinching her fanny pack on the way, because in Italy, you may encounter pickpockets at any time when you walk on the street. The Beijing tour guide told her to relax, said he was a girl alone in the early hours of the morning through the park to go home are very safe.

The Italian beauty was shocked when she heard that she could not even think about this kind of security environment. After a day of shopping, the Italian beauty marveled at the safety of Beijing, saying that none of the strangers who came over to say hello to her along the way were there to steal from her, but only out of curiosity and goodwill.

The Beijing tour guide took a German couple out to play, the German man working in the German media, before coming to China several times, this time is to bring his girlfriend to China to travel.

The man told the Beijing tour guide that he was of mixed German-Moroccan blood and his girlfriend was a second-generation Arab immigrant, and that they were often treated differently in Germany because of their bloodline.

The man lamented that he worked in the media and that the Western media always preached so-called equality, but racism between people was actually very serious. China, which is constantly attacked by the West, is actually doing much better than the West in this regard.

Another European friend who traveled to China said that only in China can you see deities of two different religions coexisting in one temple. Some temples have a Taoist temple in the front and a Buddhist temple in the back; others have a Buddhist temple in the front and a mosque in the back. This phenomenon of religions coexisting rather than being hostile to each other is rare in Europe, but commonplace in China.

He even saw Uyghur Muslims organizing shamanic ceremonies. 🤣 (Don’t be ridiculous or surprised. The Persian Turkic Mongol Timurid Dynasty established the Mughal Islamic Empire in the Indian subcontinent, but in fact the Mongolians’ own religion was shamanism)

The Beijing tour guide said that when these European friends came to China, they generally found China kind and full of hope, which is very different from the image they had been indoctrinated with before.

There is a lot of inequality and hypocritical double standards in the world controlled by the West, and China’s rise is equally significant in reshaping the world landscape, not just for the Chinese.

 

What is the best comeback you used on someone?

This wasn’t so much a verbal comeback as it was physical.

I was driving to work one day and happened upon a proper lunatic driver. He was in a BMW convertible, top down, weaving through traffic, consistently cutting extremely close to other cars. There were lots of scuffmarks on his bumpers that I’m sure were from hit and runs.

Anyway, as I’m entering a junction, he weaves around me, through the shoulder, into the merging lane and almost clips a Volkswagen’s front bumper. He shoots past me, forcing me to swerve across the yellow line and into oncoming traffic. Thankfully I was able to avoid a head-on collision by a few feet. There was decently heavy traffic at this point, so BMW man ended up staying right in front of me, stuck on a 2-lane highway behind a line of cars in front of him.

Now I grew up in this area (Flagstaff), so I know all the roads by heart, and I knew that we were approaching a low spot in the road where there was always a giant puddle after rain. The last few days had been a torrential downpour, so I knew that the puddle would be nice and huge. When we got close, I dropped a gear in my lifted Toyota and gunned it on the dirt shoulder. I came right up next to BMW man right as I hit the puddle and sent a tsunami of dirty puddle water into his white interior. He slammed on the breaks, and I then merged back onto the road in front of him. He found a spot to pull over on the side of the road and that was the last I ever was of him.

As I continued on, the driver of the Volkswagen behind me rolled down his window and gave me a thumbs up.

So, I guess that would be the best comeback that I’ve used on somebody. Not a single word was exchanged, although I’m sure that BMW man had some fine words for me on the side of the road.

The Debt Can’t be Repaid – So What will Happen Instead?

Has narcan ever been used to revive you? What was your experience?

When I think about police officers I generally get sick to my stomach. That sickness is immediately followed by an urge to argue with or challenge a police officer.

When I search my heart for an answer as to why I don’t like the police, I can’t find one. I have no reason to not like police officers — I guess the thought of (seemingly) absolute authority pisses me off.

I just asked three questions a week or two ago that highlight (in asshole fashion) how I feel about the police. I wish I could take them back — but I can’t. I learned something from asking them, though.

My last real run-in with the police happened on September 11th, 2017.

I woke up early for work. Dillon and I left my house somewhere around seven am. I heard a voice — I had an itch — I wanted heroin — my mind was made up.

At lunchtime, I made the call and manipulated Dillon into stopping at Sheetz so I could get a “burger.” I met my dealer and got bags of heroin instead.

I shot half of a bag in the bathroom and the monster was let out.

A few hours later I overdosed in a Starbucks parking lot. Dillon called 911 and my girlfriend, his sister.

The police arrived and I was unresponsive. They administered several (I think six) shots of Narcan.

The feeling of coming to was absolutely horrible. My entire body felt like I got stomped on repeatedly by Godzilla, eaten by him and then pooped out — explosively.

On that day, the police saved my life. While I was lying in a hospital bed just after I overdosed, I thought about the cop who saved me. I remembered every run-in I had with the cops, and between me and you, each and every time they saved my life.

Whether they took me to jail, dropped me at rehab, cuffed me or Narcan’d me, they saved my life.

I truly would not be here if it weren’t for the Boys in Blue.

To any cop who is reading this — thank you for your service. You save lives and it matters. You saved mine.

Leon

 

Why is our generation so unhappy?

This is a real, unaltered, photograph of my face as I write this answer. What do you see?

I see the deep bags under my eyes – I haven’t slept well in months, not since class started again. My face is pale, my skin dull. My hair, which I normally painstakingly take care of, is pulled back in low pony. I can’t remember if I brushed it today. My eyes do not radiate with life – in short, I look exhausted.

I’m in my third year of my degree, and I’m feeling the strain and pressure. My body is tired after nearly three straight years of gruelling coursework. My mind is slow, it’s hard. I call my parents for support. I tell them how I’m feeling. My mom provides this sentiment:

“One day, you’ll be able to have a house and a family and this will all be worth it! You won’t have to worry anymore!”

I politely accept her answers, tell her I love her, and hang up. Then I throw my head in my hands and cry.

---

With my generation, there are no guarantees.

I would, honestly, love to be able to afford a little house. A car. Share it with someone I care about. Maybe have a dog, work at a job I can, at the very least, tolerate.

Put food on the table and clothes on my back. Maybe, once every two years or so, take a vacation to some place new, and when the time is right, start a family.

This is the life I’m supposed to earn in obtaining a STEM degree. A life of comfort – not an extravagant, jet-setting life – but a life where I don’t have to worry about tomorrow.

I’m not even guaranteed to get a job when I’m done my degree.

It is one thing to push a boulder up a hill for four years, to be rewarded with it rolling down the far slope once you reach the peak. It is entirely another to push a boulder up a hill for four years only to have it roll back over you.

I try to explain this to my parents when I can, but they don’t understand. I don’t blame them. It’s a horrible truth that too many people refuse to swallow.

That’s why my generation is so unhappy. When I talk to my friends – other 20 something’s, just struggling to survive – it’s always the same.

“I think one day, I’d like to have an apartment to call my own. I’ll rent it, obviously, because who the hell can afford to actually purchase a house? I’ll take the bus to work, cars are too expensive. Maybe, if I’m lucky, I’ll think about getting a dog, if I can afford it.”

That’s what life is reduced to.

I have friends who, would, when they’re older, love to have a family. My best friend would want two kids. You know what she told me?

“Of course I’d love a family one day. But I’ll never be able to have it. Kids need food, time, and toys. They need to feel safe. But even with my income, and the income of my partner, we’d never be able to pay for school, and a car, and a house! A life of penny pinching is not what I want for my kids.”

It broke my heart.

We’re sad because we will never be able to afford the lives of our parents. We’re sad because we see what’s coming – the planet is dying, rich assholes are being elected president, people are being murdered – the world is so hard.

And nothing is guaranteed.

Edit

I wasn’t anticipating a response like this! Wow.

To add a few details:

• I’m Canadian, not American. I recognize this means I have some advantages over Americans (healthcare, mostly). Doesn’t mean life doesn’t have its difficulties!
• In no way am I advocating “giving up”. I’m still busting my butt everyday. I am, however, pointing out the flaws with the current system.
• I do not expect life to just become “easy” after getting a STEM degree. I’m no more or less entitled to opportunities than anyone else. You know what would be nice? To be able to get a job in my field after getting a STEM degree.

 

Are Women Aware That Most Men Are Invisible To Them

What did your boss say to you during a meeting that resulted in you immediately resigning?

I used to work for credit union. I had been a loan officer at my previous credit union job, but at my new job they didn’t have an opening so I was a teller. The existing manager was going to be retiring, and I was told when I was hired that I would be then eligible for the loan officer position because everybody would be moving up the chain.

When the manager retired they put an ad out for the loan officer and when I questioned my manager about it, I was told well you don’t have a degree and you cannot have a salaried position with the company unless you have a degre I reminded him of our conversation when I was hured and he looked at me and smiled and said oh yeah, we did say that, but we were desperate for a teller.

In the end, they ended up hiring someone who had a bachelor of arts degree in something ridiculous like French literature but because she had that piece of paper she was qualified where as I had 3+ years of experience in the position wasn’t.

They then wanted me to train her to do the job that I have been doing while waiting for them to hire someone the meantime, the job that I wasn’t qualified for.

I gave them my two week notice. When I didn’t show up 2 weeks later they were in disbelief because they never thought I would actually leave.

I Treated This Starving Skinny Mother and Daughter to Beef Bowls Every Day and…

A little break. From Japan. LOL.

 

What would you do if someone walked up to you, squeezed your breasts, and walked away?

It happened to me about thirty-two years ago on a public bus. It was very crowded, and I was among the unfortunates standing in the aisle. A large male hand came from behind and squeezed my right breast very painfully. I hollered, “Filth! Get your hand off my breast,” as loud as I could. Some other people, at first women, then men, yelled too. Someone told the bus driver to stop at the police station, which was near by.

This was many years ago, and Israeli society had a very strong communal ethic of mutual help. (It still does, but in a different way.)

I said never mind the police. The guy was so embarrassed I doubted he’d try that trick again. The driver open the doors and yelled at him to get out. He did. I seem to recall a couple of people getting off with him, but I really don’t know if that is true or just wish fulfilling embroidery.

Women and men, girls and boys: if someone touches you in a way you don’t desire, yell at them! Embarrass them! If they continue, fight! You can do it and you should do it. If you have to hurt them, hurt them. It is self-defense in the purest sense of the word.

 

Why would anyone want to work only 4 days a week?

Been there done that twice

1. FedEx mechanic started with 5 8.0 hour days at O hare airport. Then the workload changed for tractors, trailers and dollies. We mechanics were given the choice to work 4 10 hour days and have 3 days off. Most of the mechanics chose to work 4 10 hour days and have 3 days off each week. Easy choice.
2. Panera bread – baker again due to workload and having 3 bakers. The 2 girls got Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I was the senior baker and worked Thursday, Friday and Saturday. This became problematic with 30 hours instead of 40 hours a week so I left.
3. Now I do real estate work for much better pay. $50 an hour. To me why anyone would choose to work longer hours at lower pay is beyond stupid… Most people don’t know any better.

Just consider the people that work for Walmart or other retail long hours, low paying jobs, no insurance and no benefits. Just dumb.

I left Walmart for 4 times the pay as a mechanic.

I looked around at Walmart and saw many associates lived in a trailer park or multiple people to an apartment.

They complained allot yet did little to nothing to change their situation.

 

The rise of single and lonely… everybody?

The effects are dire for the West.

This is SERIOUS business.

 

What has an employee said that immediately caused you to fire them?

When I was manager of a truck stop fuel desk I hired a couple……I thought she was terrific and comanager and I were considering grooming her for leadership. I wasn’t thrilled with him but I needed a lot porter.

I didn’t want her to walk and thought if I don’t hire both of them she would reject any offer. So, against my best judgment i hired both of them.

It was a disaster.

One afternoon she was ringing up a driver and the driver harmlessly called her “dear”. He was within earshot and stopped the guy as he was walking out. He got in the guy’s face and said “I heard you hitting on my girl in there…..If I catch you doing that again I’ll F&ck you up!!!”

My co manager and I immediately took him to our office and yelled at him…..we told him not only was he fired but he was to leave the premises immediately!! We also got two other employees to escort him out.

Once she found out she burst into the office and cursed us out. She said we had no right to fire him and if we didn’t rehire him she would walk out and quit.

We didn’t stop her

Roasted Pepper Salad (Pimentos Assados)

Ingredients

• 6 large green, red or yellow bell peppers (or combination)
• 1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon coarsely-ground pepper

Instructions

1. Set oven to broil or 550 degrees F.
2. Arrange peppers on rack in broiler pan. Broil with tops about 5 inches from heat, turning frequently, until blistered on al sides, about 20 minutes.
3. Place peppers in plastic bag; seal bag. Let stand until peppers can be peeled easily, about 20 minutes.
4. Remove skin, stems and seeds from peppers. Cut peppers into 1/2-inch wide strips, and place in nonreactive bowl.
5. Shake remaining ingredients in tightly covered jar; pour over peppers.
6. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
7. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.

Yield: 6 servings

MM helping youse guys out

Should a veteran that never got deployed deserve the same amount of respect that veterans that have deployed get? Does it even matter?

Let me tell you a little story:

In November of 1985, a few months after graduating high school, I went off to Ft Dix New Jersey to do my basic training, then off to Ft Eustis to complete my training. I volunteered to go to Korea as my first duty station. Lo and Behold, when I got there about September of 1986 (My MOS training was 32 weeks!! try spending your first 9 months in the Army as a trainee!) I was assigned to the 2nd infantry Division in the small town about 15 miles South of the DMZ. Our company commander made it a point to visit with all new arrivals in his office to explain the map of S. Korea. Apparently in 1986 the Korean War cease fire was still in effect. What does that mean in English? In 1953 the North and South agreed to a cease fire NOT an armistice! There was always the possibility of War reemerging again. Every time we had an alert, I couldn’t help but think of the possibility of being real.

What was my job?

68J10 Aircraft fire control systems repairer: basically the Armament guys that load up bullets on the AH-1 Cobra Helicopter. Better known as the Red-headed step-children of the Aviation branch, or among combat arms people as a REMF. That’s an acronym for Rear Echelon Mother-F… Er, … uh.. back to the story…

After an uneventful year in South Korea I went state side, spent 18 months at Ft Polk and reenlisted for orders to Germany. The Cold war was still on and president Reagan wanted troops in Europe. But, the fact of the matter was, we were still playing a dangerous Chess game with the Soviet union, and there was the possibility of war. I had a chance to be reassigned a little closer to the Eastern Border and found out that my new unit the 11th Armored Cavalry regiment was basically a speed bump in the event that the soviets invaded through the famous Fulda Gap.

Of course it never happened, but now we are in 1990–1991 and the gulf war came.

There were 2 corps of soldiers in Germany, V and VII corps each with an armored cavalry regiment, more armor, infantry and all the necessary support staff. VII corps went to the gulf and everyone else stayed behind, less a few units of the 11th that went to Turkey for Kurdish relief. I was always ready to do my job, and at one point, talking to my father over the phone my father, a cheery Louisiana country boy who never showed too many emotions said in his thick SW Louisiana accent:

“Son, I wish you comme home back to your momma an me and git out the army!”

He was scared for my safety – I guess I had a great Uncle with PTSD from WWII and it worried him.

I reassured him I’d be ok.

Out of 8 years in the Army the most danger I ever saw was probably flying with some crazy Viet Nam vet helicopter pilots

– oh and maybe one or two particular nights of GI partying, but we won’t go there!!

I left the Army in 1994 and a few years went by. In 1997 I mentioned I was a veteran and some little punk Challenged me! (I’m still not happy about that)

After 2001 everything changed and people react differently to Veterans now.

Vacationing down in Branson, Missouri while watching a stage show, they asked all veterans to stand up and be recognized. It felt strange.

I happened again in Church during Veterans day. It still felt strange

While visiting down in Texas with my wife’s uncle Frank, a WWII Navy veteran assigned to protect the merchant marine fleet. I listened to his stories for quite a long time. I eventually confessed to him how humbled I felt to be counted as a veteran with those that really saw “Action”.

He smiled and told me to remember this:

“All gave some, some gave all”

We all rose our right hands and made an oath. We all served in some capacity, great or small to be something bigger than what we are alone.

And as the years roll on, My heart has a feeling for those young men – younger than me that come back from war, and we veterans have a type of empathy that cannot be explained to those that did not serve.

Don’t think less of a REMF or the guy that was in the Motor Pool working on an old truck- or the person that slopped some food on your plate at the mess hall.

We all pledged to answer the call

“All gave some, some gave all”

Western Woman Shoots Her Shot Then Gets A Quick Reality Check; Men Just Don’t Care Anymore.

 

 

When being terminated from a job, have you ever warned the company of something important that only you knew how to do, and your advice has gone unheeded?

I got let go by a large enterprise software company in one of the stupidest ways imaginable…. I was in the middle of a multi-week project for the US Govt and was flying back and forth between my home and Tucson, AZ on a weekly basis….

Friday afternoon, I’m on my way back home, and as I get a coffee in the Phoenix airport, my corporate card doesn’t work…. I get a call shortly afterwards from HR saying that I don’t work for them anymore…

I ask politely if they had my assignment for the next few weeks covered, particularly the next week, as I was supposed to be in Albuquerque teaching a class for one of our partners. I rather rudely get told that it’s no longer any of my concern, that I need to get home and complete my final expenses…

Sunday night, I get a call from one of our Partner Managers wanting to see if I made it to Albuquerque ok and to go have dinner to discuss the schedule for the week…. I tell him what happened and you can hear him go white over the phone. He is -pissed-. This partner has pulled their entire Sales Engineer staff in (~20 people) for this class. I tell him it’s beyond my control.

he’s still mad and says he’s going to call his boss. Less than a minute later, I get a call from my former boss yelling about how I didn’t tell him about this training class, and that he doesn’t know who’s going to teach it. I calmly state that it’s been in my weekly status report for the last 8 weeks, when it was originally scheduled, and that if he wasn’t reading my status reports, that’s on him.

long story short here: the class didn’t happen. The partner sued my former company for several million dollars in lost revenue and additional expenses for bringing their staff in ‘for nothing’…. My former boss lost his job shortly afterwards, and I do think it was related…

UPDATE: my former boss did, in fact, call me back at close to 10pm my time to try to get me to take it as a ‘contract gig’ so the partner would be happy. I told him that it would be $1000 per day plus expenses — first class airfare, etc… — with a 5 day minimum. Oh, and looking at airfare, I can’t get there on Monday now, because the flights are already completely booked. I can fly Tuesday morning and make it happen…. He checked with the partner and that wasn’t acceptable (which I already knew, because I’d asked the partner about doing a Tues-Friday class already because I didn’t want to give up my weekends if I could help it!).

I couldn’t go work for the partner directly because, as others have stated in the comments, the training material and labs (yes, this was a hands-on training, including a full set of labs that the partner SEs would have been able to take with them!!) were proprietary!

How Male Minimalism Threatens the US Economy

How do I tactfully tell someone that they smell bad?

I used to work in a chocolatier who was owned by a French Chef and his Scandinavian wife.

He had 2 interns come from France. One was A and another was L. Both of them were really pretty and dressed well. The only difference was that L smelled really bad. It was the sort of pungent putrid toxic stench that just went up your nostrils and killed a couple of your brain cells making you void of thoughts and movement for a couple of minutes. The kind of smell that would wake the dead and kill the living.

The additional problem to this was that the retail shop we worked at had a very small space. 3 people could barely fit behind the counter. So when L comes around the entire space would be filled with her stench. It was really bad.

My manager had told me that a cabbie had once tried to tell L that she smells bad and had wound down the windows. She went into a rant demanded to be dropped off in the middle of the highway and called the cab company complaining about how rude this driver was. And had promptly come into work raging away.

So to tell her to her face was out of the question.

The boss’s wife came around one day when L , myself and my manager were working. She stayed 10 minutes then signalled she couldn’t take the smell and walked away. She came back 20 minutes later with deodorant spray and perfume. She took one out and claimed very loudly how the weather was horribly humid and everyone stank and proceeded to spray everyone with the spray. That was the best day at work. L got hit double hard with the spray. Then the boss’s wife proceeded to implement the rule that everyone who works must spray themselves with the deodorant before they start their shift and it will be monitored through the camera.

Life became so much better after that. The living stayed alive and the dead stayed dead.

 

Why do people change when they become rich or successful?

Because they lack the urgency they had when they were poor.

A good example is with fighters. Connor McGregor was unstoppable early in his career, knocking people out right and left. He’d come from humble beginnings and was destined to be a plumber before he took up fighting.

Then, he started raking in tens of millions of dollars. And it started to show. He was out partying like a madman, drinking and doing coke. He developed a god complex about fighting.

Sure enough, he started losing fights.

The same thing happened with other great athletes, including Mike Tyson. The old saying is that it’s hard to wake up early to jog, if you are sleeping in velvet sheets.

The lesson is that you shouldn’t lose the fire that got you to where you are. Many people keep it. Money doesn’t spoil everyone. But it spoils quite a few.

BLACK ORCHID – Retro Pulp Science Fiction by Skyward, Parallel Timeline, 1967-1971 to Future, Gen-2

A return back to what once was.