There’s a lot of people chatting about “reptilians”. My (MM) opinion is that (as far as the Earth is concerned), our environment is not conducive and supportive of a human-sized intelligent reptilian extraterrestrial. The size betrays the need for large amounts of oxygen and that impacts the brains size and cavity.

Reptilians can exist, mind you, but not as intelligent beings. Not around our star, and within our present environment.

I had the opportunity to inquire to the Domain Commander about this issue on a chat that I had while riding the public bus. (Yup, welcome to MM land.)

• There ARE extraterrestrials that have a reptilian form, and they are intelligent.
• They however, are unable to operate within this solar system effectively.
• Thus, any extraterrestrial beings that operate within our Earth environment take on other “forms”. Not reptilian.

That being said, one should not discount the reports that reptilians and shape-changing beings are common in the earth environment. They are not. What is instead being reported is a cloaked image that presents a reptilian image directly keyed to satiate the observer.

The primeval state is insectoid. Not reptilian, however, many human observers would find a projection of a large insect far too disturbing for purposes of contact, thus a reptilian image is preferred.

Better to see a human-sized lizard, than a giraffe sized preying mantis. Don’t you know.

Today…

Have you ever accepted a ride as a hitchhiker?

Back when I was in college (early ‘70s) everyone hitchhiked. I would hitchhike alone or with friends almost every other weekend in upstate New York (yes, I’m a guy). Our trips were always taken on part of the NYS Thruway, and there were unwritten rules that hitchhikers followed. There were usually three, four or more hitchhikers just before the toll booths, each person or group would be spread out 20 or so feet apart. We would all have signs for where we wanted to go, usually the city/town/exit we wanted to get dropped off. The person/group that was closest to the toll booths had priority for being picked up, if you were just getting to the thruway entrance, you took the spot farthest away. As people got picked up, your place in the queue got better.

My friend and I actually started a small business. We got large pieces of white oaktag (two feet wide) and created stencils that we would spray paint with dayglow orange paint. We would sell them to people who were going to hitchhike, they were always the best signs of anybody looking for a ride, they loved them. We also made copies of tips and rules (we would always be amazed at stupid ways people dressed to be standing outside, sometimes in the snow/rain for hours). I’d say we got a ride 95% of the time, we never had any problems.

Ai dod symposium notes and signs

https://odysee.com/@psinergy:f/trim.C62FD469-784D-4FAA-8DE8-9993576614F4:5

What did someone say/do that made you close down your account and go to another bank?

Bank of America: “We don’t have $1000 in cash.”

Followed by, it’s the weekend and so on and on.

The topper though was: “You will have to wait until Monday.”

Er, no I don’t.

I paraded in front of that branch with a sign stating the facts – this branch did not have $1000 on hand – causing quite the queue to form….of demanding account holders.

Presto. $1000 cash appeared, with no delivery that I observed, nothing.

“Get me a cashier’s check for the rest.”

What are some biggest behaviors of a confident person?

1. They dare to give toxic people the silent treatment.
2. They don’t judge people without knowing their side of the story.
3. They’re not like “He will like me”, but “I’ll be fine if they don’t”.
4. They listen to understand, not to reply.
5. They normalize saying no.
6. They don’t break eye contact too much.
7. They don’t frequently check their social media “Likes”.
8. They look to praise, not praised.
9. They are too positive to be doubtful,
   too optimistic to be fearful,
   too determined to be defeated.
10. They know everyone have flaws and nobody is perfect.
11. They are better at ignoring insecurities.
12. They know what their triggers are.
13. They don’t just have purpose, they live it.

What is the best case of “You just picked a fight with the wrong person” that you’ve witnessed?

Dude, age 37, sexist as hell, has a theory that only very few women are smart. Very few. He could maybe count them on one hand.

He, on the other hand, is the love child of Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein high on NZT.

We are at a party, all PhD students, the women’s section seriously looked down on by this Dude. He of course has to start an intellectual fight over something one of the girls is majoring in. He dies to prove that she has grey spots in her logic/theory. Girl is super chill, Dude makes very little sense actually. He is mostly arrogant. Finally he names a study written by a female author, says Girl should only talk with such confidence if she is as smart as that woman. Yeah, the author lady is one of the few super intelligent “females” he would be able to accept as a partner in all terms.

Girl laughs and pulls out her laptop to show Dude how the study is actually her own article. She wrote it. She is the super intelligent author lady.

Laugh rumbles for minutes, Dude leaves a contrail behind in his rush to get out, trying to act hurt.

What was your most embarrassing moment in front of your boss?

I once locked my boss in his own office.

I was 19 and doing my internship in a midsize Pune based CA firm. My boss and I were working until around 8:30 p.m. Other employees had already left.

My Boss: Vikas, we should leave now, it’s 8:30 p.m.

In an attempt to impress my boss, with how dedicated and hard working I am, I said “Sir, you leave. I will finish drafting that partnership deed and then go.”

My Boss: Are you sure? It can take 2 hours.

Me: No problem, Sir. I’ll finish it this evening and set the copy on your desk before leaving.

My Boss: OK. Lock the office carefully.

Here is the catch, I had already drafted that deed, and it was ready to be printed out. I went to my desk, waited few minutes, ensured boss had left his cabin, then took printouts, neatly placed it on my boss’s table. Switch off lights and locked the office. Went down the cafeteria downstairs and started having my food.

But I forgot, there’s a balcony adjacent to my boss’s cabin. He was actually in the balcony talking on a phone, while I locked him in his own office.

But that’s only half part of embarrassment story.

My boss realised I’ve locked him in, saw the partnership deed print outs on his desk, he understood the entire matter (he was a smart and jolly person in 30s, who has gone through that same phase of internship).

He called me : Vikas, where are you? what are you doing?

Me: Sir I am in office, typing that partnership deed.

Boss : There’s no need to type that deed. I’m in my cabin now, holding the printout of that same partnership deed.

Me:……………!

Boss : So please come to the office, unlock the door, let me go home!

If he had scolded me, then okay. But he never said a word about my oversmartness.

I can’t explain the level of embarrassment..

What is the best thing that has ever happened to you for being nice?

It was a second date, and we went to an Indian restaurant. The waiter made a mistake with our order, and instead of causing a scene I was apparently completely sympathetic and understanding.

I say “apparently” because I don’t actually remember this at all, since being nice to waiters is my default mode, but my date really noticed. It seems that almost everyone else she’d dated would put on some kind of show in order to show how assertive and macho they were, no matter that it involved humiliating someone for a mistake anyone could have made – and she said that that was the precise point when she thought that I might have long-term relationship potential.

Fifteenth wedding anniversary this month. Moral: be nice to waiters.

What is the best case of “You just picked a fight with the wrong person” that you’ve witnessed?

A major bank takes on the wrong guy…

My father was a very distinguished British judge and widely recognised as one of the finest legal minds of his generation.

Whenever he bought a car, he set up a savings account to pay for the eventual replacement. The account was with a major international banking group.

When the time came to replace his car, he discovered that this type of account had been mothballed, and no interest had been paid for years. He’d overlooked the notification small print amongst the endless stream of marketing bumf from the bank.

His initial complaint was rejected. So my father wrote directly to the Chair of the Board, pointing out that this policy discriminated against the bank’s most vulnerable customers, with an incisively argued opinion that the policy was illegal under EC consumer law.

Not long afterwards he received a personal letter from the Chair. After apologising profusely, he assured my father that the policy would be changed, and that many thousands of customers of discontinued accounts would have their interest paid in full plus additional compensation. This will have cost them many millions.

It’s not often that a single customer complaint changes the policy of a major corporation. Their lawyers must have checked my father’s reputation and realised that they were on a legal hiding to nothing.

They tangled with the wrong guy!

Copeland’s of New Orleans Bananas Foster

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) whole butter
• 4 whole bananas, peeled and cut into fourths
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup light cream or Half-and-Half
• 1 ounce banana liqueur
• 1 ounce rum

Instructions

1. Place half of the butter in a heavy gauge skillet over medium heat and melt. Add the sugar and cream. Cook for approximately 2 minutes until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Add cut bananas and the cinnamon to the skillet and stir to coat.
3. Remove the skillet from the flame. Add the rum and the banana liqueur.
4. Swirl to incorporate and place the skillet back on the flame. (**Be careful because the alcohol may ignite when you place it back on the flame.)
5. Add the remaining butter and swirl to incorporate.
6. Serve over your favorite ice cream, pound cake, or biscuits.

As a cop what was the most interesting arrest you ever made?

Not me, but my dad arrested a mafia hit man once.

They had a warrant for the guy related to money laundering and racketeering, but they knew he was a hit man too. They were going to hit his house early one morning. The bust crew staged around the corner, and my dad said he would cruise by the house to check for any unforeseen circumstances, and verify the street address. My dad pulled up in an unmarked suberban, and stopped briefly in front of the guys house. At that moment, hit man dude walks out in his bath robe to get the morning newspaper. My dad (in plain clothes) said “excuse me, can I ask you a quick question?” Dude said sure. He walked up to my dads window. My dad says aren’t you so-and-so? Guy says yes i am. Dad flashed his badge and says sir, i got a warrant for your arrest. Dude looks around, then said really? Dad says yes sir, put your hands on my hood please. And handcuffed him right there in his bathrobe. Then called the bust crew and told them “well, i got him. He is in custody “.

Dude was actually super cool. Said he was gonna need a few minutes to explain this to his wife because she had no idea about this part of his life. They gave him that courtesy

What makes Biden give up decoupling with China?

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

When I was younger I had been babysitting for my nephew but they had recently moved to a new apartment in a part of the city I didn’t know. My parents had drawn a map to get me there, but I ended up not quite getting the same route back. It was gone 2am and I emerged onto a little roundabout from a different road than expected so I went around twice to get my bearings. And of course a cop car just happened to see it and pulled me over.

They asked me why, I told the truth and showed them the paper map. They asked me if I’d anything alcoholic to drink and again I truthfully said no. I don’t blame him for not believing me, given the time, a Saturday night and the situation so I took the breathalyser. I knew it would come back totally negative so I wasn’t worried. So of course it did, and they let me go. But before they left, the officer looked at me and very honestly and earnestly thanked me for my polite, respectful, courteous and cooperative attitude.

Apparently they don’t get pleasant, polite attitudes from the people they encounter very often and it was nice for them.

What is the most absurd thing you’ve been charged for on a bill?

Not too long ago, I was “de-marketized” by my former bank, Royal Bank of Canada, for accepting too many payments from companies I work for from PayPal.

from the Financial Times

This is one of Canada’s Big 5 banks, and I had been banking with them for well over 30 years. I had actually spoken to their security department about this as they wanted to confirm that all of my transactions were legal and not something out of fraud or whatever, which I didn’t mind being audited on as all of my work was legal, just not paid through the usual ways.

The bank’s security had cleared me, but they were then overruled by some other department in their head office, and suddenly I get a letter saying I was being “de-marketized” which involves having ALL of my accounts, investments, retirement funds and so on be shut down and be forced to move to another bank. There was no way to appeal, no way to complain and no act I could do to stop this. So having exhausted almost all of the avenues of redress (there’s still the Federal banking ombudsman), I had to scramble to get all of my accounts out to another bank.

Now normally I would say, “good riddance” as I’ve found that the service at my new bank far superior than what I’ve encountered with RBC. RBC put me through essentially bureaucratic hell for a month as I had to fill out this form and that form…. but now you’re probably wondering where I’m going with all this.

Well, when I had moved my investment accounts (my retirement funds) out to another bank, they had the gall to charge me $150 for the priviledge to MOVE THE MONEY OUT despite them FORCING ME OUT. And worse, if I hadn’t screamed absolute murder to the highest mountains, they tried to RETURN MY RETIREMENT SAVINGS STRAIGHT TO ME AS CASH. To do this would AUTOMATICALLY incur an instant 25–30% INCOME TAX CUT OFF THE FUNDS, which would have been in the THOUSANDS of dollars! If it wasn’t for my new bank instructing me EXACTLY what I needed to do to avoid incurring the loss and telling them I was absolutely ready to put this whole mess on LOCAL NEWS, they wouldn’t have “suddenly” discover that there was a way for me to transfer the money without the tax implications.

So in the end, I still only got hit by the $150 transfer fee, but this was absolutely absurb as I never would have been hit with this if they didn’t force me out in the FIRST PLACE.

High Alert! China Is Now Launching Their ‘Submarine Killer’ To Counter US Nuclear Submarine

China commands one of the best naval powers in the world. With modern naval vessels, advanced naval technology with no rival, a majestic naval infrastructure and the largest commanding navy in the world, the PLA Navy is by no means playing around. A recent development has come into light which reveals China’s plans of developing a next generation naval demolisher that will definitely be a force to be reckoned with.

Index to the video…

Chapters

• 00:00 – Intro
• 01:02 – The Submarine Killer
• 03:16 – A Practical Innovation
• 05:40 – A US vs China Comparison

In your time in the military, have you ever met a high ranking officer and were unaware of their rank?

My husband was the 82nd paratrooper with the tweaked shoulder, I was the new wife hip deep in a Ford Pinto doing an oil change and tune-up at the Hobby Shop on post. He was an E-5 Sergeant, we didn’t have money for someone else to work on our cars, so “we” were working on the Pinto of Many Colors (think primer on all four fenders in four different colors — not me, I swear!) This particular Pinto we’d paid $186 for because the little old lady who sold it to us took $14 off because we’d have to register it — 94,000 miles later, I figured we got our money’s worth. But it did require maintenance.

Hubby was handing me tools one-handed. I asked for an extension for a stubborn spark plug and he went to “check it out” which you could do at the post Hobby Shop.

Someone from the next bay handed me the tool and said, “Try this one.”

I took it and said, “Thank-you, kindly.”

There was some inconsequential chit-chat, and I said, “You sound like home.”

He was from home, less than an hour from home anyway, La Follette, TN.

That was it, a short conversation with a soldier, a good ole Southern boy in a white T-shirt tucked into belted jeans. He was a little older than everyone else in the bay, but oil needed changing, right?

Hubby gave me big eyes and said, “Thank-you, SIR.”

It was the GENERAL Carl Stiner, his many boss’ boss, head of the 82nd at the time.

The Pinto started right up and ran like a top. Hubby’s shoulder healed. And the general went on to great things with Special Operations Group and to co-write a book with Tom Clancy. But I think of him changing his own oil in a tucked-in T-shirt at the Hobby Shop.

Strangest things on camera

WHAT ELSE COULD GO WRONG?

A man was skydiving one bright sunny day. He pulled the string to open his main parachute – but nothing happened – the parachute did not open! So he pulled the string to open his reserve chute – but that didn’t open either!!

‘Oh no’, the man thought to himself. ‘The way things are going, my car probably won’t start either when I try to drive home!!!’

What was your “I am surrounded by idiots” moment?

This is a favorite story of mine. If you watch my show the original creature features on YouTube, You will note that I wear an eye patch. I have been blind in one eye for almost 60 years And I have made a point of wearing an eye patch in all of my ID photos because it makes it easier for people to know it’s me. Having a damaged eye is a hard thing to fake. So I went down to the DMV to renew my license and they said I had to take an eye test remember I am wearing an eye patch. They first told me to cover my left eye and read the chart, the eye with an eye patch. I told them that it would not affect anything as I don’t have an eye and I am in fact wearing an eye patch but they said I could be faking it so I had to cover my left eye and read the chart. That was not the stupid part. They then told me I had to cover my right eye, The only eye that can see and read the chart. I again told them that I was blind in my left eye and was in fact wearing an eye patch over my left eye which i’d be willing to remove so that they could see the lack of a left eye. They pointed out that despite being qualified to be at the DMV or Possibly because of it, They were not qualified to look at my eye and tell that it was blind and that I still had to cover my eye and read the chart. Again they pointed out that I could be faking it, There could be a hole in the eye patch that I’m seeing through. I said let’s just write down that I saw nothing and they said they couldn’t believe me until I covered my eye and then told them I saw nothing. I asked them what would be the advantage to me to lie on my DMV eye Test that I was blind. They couldn’t tell me but required that I covered my only good eye and try to read the chart. I covered the eye said I couldn’t see anything and they proceeded to give me my new driver’s license. I desperately want to work at the DMV as I don’t believe I am stupid enough to possibly ever be fired.

What’s a rule that you live by that most people don’t?

You can’t be mad about what you didn’t say.

My roommate is fuming.

“We all printed off our copies of the speech and she had hers on her computer! I can’t even believe that. I was so pissed.”

“Did you tell her to print it?” I ask.

“Well, no,” she admits. “But I think it’s fairly obvious—”

“If it’s so obvious, you’d think she’d’ve done it,” I observe.

“She was probably just being lazy.”

“Or she didn’t have the same expectations as you. If you wanted her to do something, you should’ve told her. You can’t really be mad about something you never said.”

Many people think it’s valid to get upset about assumptions.

But if you want something done, say it. If you don’t like something, say it. If you need something, say it.

Don’t assume that others see what you see.

It never hurts to discuss things.

And it never hurts to say what you’re thinking.

Communication.

It rocks, yo.

NDE REVEALS: The REASON We CHOSE To Incarnate During This DIFFICULT Time!

Has a child ever done something that really surprised you?

My best friends 5 year old son stayed with me for a week (my friend and her husband went on holiday). I was pregnant at that time.

One evening after bringing him back home from the park, i was panting walking home. As soon as he got home, he disappeared into the bathroom.

I could hear running water, but didn’t think much of it. I thought he was washing his hands (and he takes long).

While he was doing his thing, I went to the kitchen to warm up dinner, I saw him pull a chair to the bathroom. Obviously this wasn’t normal. I followed him to the bathroom, but he asked me not to come in for two minutes.

When he finally opened the door, he’s filled the bathtub with hot water, added soap for bubbles, cologne for smell (he probably didn’t realize that soap had smell too). And he’d kept the chair just outside the bath tub so I could sit and soak my feet in hot water.

He said that’s what dad did when his mum was expecting his sibling. It takes away all the pain he said!

Obviously the sweetest thing a child has done

Wife Says She “Wasted Her 20s Raising Kids” So She Wants An Open Marriage…I Said I Want A Divorce

Isn’t “crumpet” just the British term for what Americans call an “English muffin”?

So you know how in the Lord of the Rings books, orcs are corrupted, debased creatures made by foul darkness in mockery of elves?

That’s kind of what English muffins are to crumpets.

If you’ve only had English muffins but never has your mouth known the blessing of a crumpet, you might think they are in some way kin, without realizing how the English muffin is a fel and evil mockery of a crumpet. To taste a crumpet after a lifetime of English muffins is to know true bliss, as if you’ve had your first hint of a brighter world, a breakfast delicacy buttered by the loins of Aphrodite herself.

How do you respond when your boss says, “I need this done by Monday”?

Not my boss, it was an important client. A client we couldn’t afford to lose.

A desperate call came in Friday morning. An American investor wanted an English translation of their just released 68-page German annual report for Monday.

I knew it was a huge problem, but I stayed calm as I ran the word count to see how bad it was.

Doing the rough math, I told him we needed to find at least 3 additional financial translators (plus yours truly) who might be willing to work a 32-hour weekend on short notice. I would call him back as soon as I had news.

Now this was back in 1998, long before Google Translate and DeepL.

I sent an email out to 11 translators and got on the phone to follow the mail.

After 8 calls I had my 3 translators, but there was a catch. The least expensive one was asking for 240 marks (120 EUR) per hour. The most expensive wanted 400 marks (200 EUR).

That was outrageous, but as they all pointed out to me, only outrageous people ask suppliers to change their weekend plans on Friday morning and tell their loved ones they are working a 16-hour Saturday and Sunday.

Normally this job would have been quoted just under 8,000 marks with a one week delivery time, but to complete over the weekend it would cost 45,000.

I called back the client and told him we could deliver for Monday at a price of 45,000… or we could deliver a week later for 8,000. I asked him to talk it over with his investor and get back to me asap.

The return call came pretty quickly. Monday in a week would be just fine.

The moral of the story is, be nice, but be firm. Set a price for losing your weekend. It can be extra money, extra days off or maybe even a promotion.

Then let the boss decide whether it’s worth it. Your weekend belongs to you, but you can always sell it if the price is right.

Whatever you do, don’t sell yourself short.

What’s something your husband did to you that you will never forget?

It was on our honeymoon and I knew then I made a mistake by marrying him. We argued a lot. He was angry with me because I couldn’t read a map. I COULD read a map just fine, it was the map that wasn’t clear as to which way to go. I gave him the map and he couldn’t figure it out either. 15 years go by, our two daughters were 10 and 13 and starting with the mouthy disrespect, but only towards me. The girls and I got into a verbal confrontation about respecting me, right in front of him. He gathered both girls to hug them and told them I was “tetched” or in other words crazy and they didn’t have to listen to me! So instead of backing me up he just made it worse. It was all downhill from there. Time goes by. Every single night, just like his parents, come home from work, eat, shower, watch TV and go to bed. Repeat until death. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Rarely go to a movie or anything else. NEVER go anywhere on vacation. I could not live like that so I decided to start my own business, which did pretty well. Went by myself on simple vacations since he didn’t want to go. So after 32 years wasted with this man, he decides to cheat with my businesses book keeper who was my best friend. I should have listened to my instict, left him to figure out his own map and walked out while on our honeymoon.

Psychologist Explains WHY Women Have To EARN Affection

“Women treat men like men treat their jobs. Men treat women like women treat money”.

And…

“people want what they want. Not, what wants them.”

What happened when selling a house that made you not sell to the prospective buyer?

I had an offer and counter offer then agreed to sell. I signed the papers and gave them to his realtor. The realtor said he would take them to the buyer tomorrow. It would have closed in a couple weeks. I was on a tight deadline to sell, it was 1994 and tax law gave me two years to sell and time was up soon. Later that same day another realtor brought me an offer that was VA preapproved and could close that week. Since the first buyer hadn’t signed yet I was able to recind my agreement to sell and accept the new one. His realtor cost him a house

What’s the most enjoyable thing you’ve ever said to a manager as you’ve quit your job?

“You haven’t passed the trial period”, I said to the manager.

I was having this interview for a job I really wanted. The interview went well, but the employers explained that since they couldn’t tell from an interview how I would do in practice, there would be a trial period of three months. I was happy with that; if I didn’t pass the trial period, at least I’d gain experience.

So I began my trial period, but already in the first week I didn’t like the atmosphere in that place. The manager who was so nice during my interview, turned out to be loud, on the verge of being a bully. He was walking in the place like a dictator and people would go quiet every time he was around them. I’m prone to anxieties and I knew it wasn’t going to work for me. Yes, I needed the money and I loved what I was doing, but it didn’t do good to my soul.

I was taking my time deciding though, but then one day he was shouting at one employee so badly (and in front of others), that I made up my mind. It was nearly the end of my trial period, and at the end of that day I went to his office and asked to talk. He said, “Please come in, I was actually planning to talk to you after the weekend, we’ll sign a contract next week.” I said, “Thank you but I won’t be staying, I can’t stand the atmosphere in your place.” He said, “What? why? don’t take it like that, we are busy, it’s nothing personal, and you have definitely passed the trial period.” I said, “Yes, but you haven’t passed the trial period!”

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

I was 17. 2 cops pulled me over and checked me and my car out. They found a pair of pliers on the back floorboard. They were looking at me all suspicious like. I was shaking. One of them said “We’ve got you now”. I managed to say “For what?” They looked at each other and then one said “Cattle rustling” I said “But we’re in the middle of the city”. They started laughing. Turns out there’s an old Texas law dating back to the 1800s that forbids anyone from carrying wire cutters. We all got a laugh and they let me go.

What are some psychological facts that people don’t know?

1. Haters don’t really hate you , in fact they hate themselves because you are a reflection of what they wish to be.
2. Make sure to listen carefully to how a person speaks about other people to you. This is how they speak about you to other people.
3. We only need two close friends in which we can trust . Having too many friends linked to depression and stress.
4. Those who don’t socialize much ain’t actually anti — social , they just have no tolerance for drama and fake people.
5. Stop telling your problems to others, 20% don’t care & the other 80% are glad you have them.
6. Eating chocolate while studying helps the brain to retain new information and it is linked to higher test scores.
7. Being nice to someone you dislike doesn’t mean that you are fake , it generally means you are matured enough to tolerate that individual.
8. The reason why it’s hard to get someone out of your mind is because they are thinking about you as well.
9. People who understand sarcasm well are often good at reading people minds.
10. If your mind wanders often , there’s 85% chance , that you are subconsciously unhappy with your life.
11. The way parents talk to their children’s become their inner voice.
12. Writing your negative thoughts and tossing them in trash can improve your mood. ( I tried it and it really works:)
13. Meditation can change the brain structure in just 8 weeks . It also increases grey matter in parts of the brain associated with learning.

Men will not go where they are unwanted.

My Uncle Eugine told me this story about being the only man in the retirement home. All the “old gals” were bringing him food and doting over him…

What are some psychological facts that people don’t know?

Some of the psychological facts, which I am sure most of the people would not be knowing

• Any friendship that exceeds the 7 year mark… Is more likely to last an entire lifetime.
• When cleaning your room, start with making your bed. It will make everything around it look out of place and it will motivate you to clean!
• 92% people type things into ”Google” to see if they spelled them correctly.

• If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself. ~Albert Einstein
• Whenever you’re curious about something write it down. This way, whenever you’re bored you’ll have an entire list of things to learn about.
• After 3 to 4 months of having a crush on someone, you either fall in love with that person or become interested in someone new.
• 85% of people have experienced a dream so real that they were not sure if it happened in real life or not.
• Never judge someone without knowing the whole story. You may think you understand, but you don’t.
• At a restaurant? Wash your hands after ordering. The menu is generally the dirtiest thing you can touch !
• Coca-Cola only sold 25 gallons syrup the first year but kept going. Never give up !
• ‘Dysania’ is the state of finding it hard to get off the bed in the morning.

• A study has found that friends-with-benefits relationships are just as sexually satisfying as marital relationships.
• Kissing and cuddling can increase your lifespan.
• Having sex only 3 times a week, has proven to make you look 5-7 years younger.
• Shy people tend to have great observational skills, making it easier to recognize the core of a problem then solving it.
• The “Pinky Promise” originally meant that the person who breaks the promise must cut off their pinky finger.

• Last and quite weird – In 1895 there were only 2 cars in the entire state of Ohio yet they still ended up crashing into each other.

Being a Worker Drone as a lifestyle

What’s the “meanest” thing you’ve done for your child that you know he/she will thank you later for?

I came to USA married and our daughter arrived 5 years later.

I decided to teach her Portuguese since it is our mother tongue.

When my daughter was 7 years old, she did not want to speak Portuguese anymore. One day, coming from school, she began telling me some situation that happened at school in English. I told her: “Please, tell me in Portuguese.” My English is excellent, but the reason that I wanted her speaking in Portuguese was because of her future, it is a plus when you can acquire a language as a child.

She got upset and told me she did not want to tell me anything anymore. I told her to go to her room and come back when she was ready to speak. It took her a few minutes, but her reasoning was valid: “Mom, everything happened in English”. But she told me the story in Portuguese, with some American words.

A decade passed, she is in nursing school where she learned Spanish. Since both languages have Latin roots, it was not very difficult to learn it.

Today she is a nurse. Almost every week she comes home telling me how impressed her foreign patients are with her Portuguese. The hospital administration asked her to do some tests for her to become their official translator.

Here and there she thanks me for not giving up on teaching her Portuguese. It has opened many doors to her.

Sharing knowledge

What’s the fastest you’ve wiped a smirk off of someone’s face?

I was getting fired. I knew it for sure.

They took all the power tools off of my service truck.

Told me I had to go see Bob Laublaub (not his real name) at the shop.

Yup…They’re firing me.

So I go into Mike’s…Ermmm Bob’s office. He has a termination slip and a check he is filling out by hand, my payoff. He says, “We are letting you go, it’s a clean layoff”. True to his word it was a clean ROF (reduction of force). I sign it, he already has. As soon as I sign it I am no longer his employee, so I ask him, “Why”? He states “We had a complaint from a customer that you were spending too much time in your truck smoking cigarettes”.

“Ohh,” I replied and handed him his copy of the termination form.

“I quit smoking three years ago”.

What is the most unreasonable request/demand that you’ve seen on an invitation to a wedding or event?

Thank you for the A2A, Wesley!

When one of my best friends from high school got married, she asked me to be a bridesmaid. I was pretty honored, and said yes. Then she told me I had to order a dress in a size 16. I was a size 2 at the time.

Her reasoning: she was portly, as were her bridesmaids, and if I was up there in a gown that showed how slim I was, I wouldn’t “match” the bridal party.

The dress was very low cut, and the only straps a loop of fabric on each side, like this, in lieu of sleeves. The skirt was much fuller.

What was I supposed to do, walk down the aisle holding my arms over my head, dragging two pounds of fabric? How would I walk with all the fabric tangling between my legs?

I rescinded my acceptance.

Do you agree with Donald Trump’s comment that “we owe trillions of dollars to China”?

The amount of U.S. treasury notes held by foreign countries is well known.

China’s current holding of U.S. treasury instruments is, roughly, $859 Billion (U.S. of course). That’s less than one trillion.

And the U.S. treasury owes that much money to China because China loaned the United States that much money (although there’s probably some interest in there). The United States isn’t going to turn down perfectly good money just because the Chinese have it. For one thing, if the U.S. government refused to sell U.S. debt instruments to countries for U.S. dollars, those countries would probably trade them on the open market for Euros or something and drive down the value of the dollar. Then the Europeans who sold Euros would be investing the money in U.S. treasury notes anyway.

Porch Pirate

Why do Chinese authorities care about immoral content on the livestreaming industry?

They are intelligent and play the long game. They’ve watched the effects that immoral contents have had on other countries for the past few decades and they’ve decided they do not want a similar fate for the youth of China. I commend them.

Which historical figures died the best?

Meet the woman who killed the President of France with a blowjob:

Marguerite Steinheil was a woman who lived a very interesting life. She was a socialite whom became famous for her many affairs with very prominent French men at the turn of the century, she became embroiled in international political scandals and once attempted to frame her manservant for the brutal murders of her husband and mother, a crime for which she was heavily implicated but never convicted.

However, it is for her relationship with Félix Faure, 7th President of France, that she became infamous.

Steinheil was introduced to Faure at a social event and quickly became his mistress. She would often visit his office at the Élysée Palace and disappear with him into his private chambers. One day, having visited the Palace, Steinheil rung urgently for the servants, who entered to find Steinheil adjusting her clothing and Faure having a seizure on the sofa. Within a few hours he was dead.

The story that came out was that Steinheil had been performing oral sex on Faure when he suffered a fatal stroke.

It’s tragic, but undeniably a pretty awesome and quintessentially ‘French’ way to go. The Presidents legacy lived on through a ship named for him, which ironically went down a few years later.

America today

As a doctor, what is the most unusual way a patient has thanked you for taking care of them?

When I was an ENT resident, I had a patient named Alvin who had been treated multiple times for an oral cancer. What happened on a visit after a biopsy stays with me today. At that time I wrote an article about it. Kind of a long answer to your question,, but I think worthwhile:

Alvin lay on the gurney, oblivious to the huff of the respirator forcing oxygen into his lungs. Pulling the surgical mask from my face, I reached for his pulse and checked his pupillary reflexes, matching the physical input against the digital readouts on the recovery room monitor. Everything looked good except that Alvin was going to live.

Alvin, a master woodworker, had cancer. At least, he’d had it before. Four years ago a small sore on the floor of his mouth proved positive for squamous cell carcinoma. Chemotherapy, radiation and three mutilating surgeries over as many years battered the disease to a standstill.

Throughout his ordeal, Alvin was indomitable. His face disfigured by the loss of half of his lower jaw, skin burned leathery by radiation, he saw no reason to complain let alone despair. Although he couldn’t smile, he never failed to joke with the nurses and talk about the mountain cabin where he planned to retire.

When Alvin presented for his checkup, there was another lump. My heart sank. He’d had all the drug and x-ray treatments his body could tolerate. Another surgery was out of the question.

“I don’t know about this, Alvin,” I said. “I think we’d better biopsy it.”

With a voice made raspy by his treatments, he said, “Sure, Doc. No problem.”

A week after the biopsy, Alvin bounced into my office after a wave and a wink to the receptionist.

He plunked himself in front of my desk, eyes still bright but unaccompanied by the usual deep laugh lines. He unshouldered a Woodworker’s Supply tote bag and set it beside the chair. “So what’s up, Doc?” he said.

The damning pathology report lay on my desk like a sheet of lead. My voice broke on his name. I took a sip of water and pulled myself together.

“It’s not good, Alvin. The cancer’s back. I don’t think we can stop it this time.”

Alvin nodded and leaned back, staring at the ceiling for a few seconds. Leaning forward, he rummaged in his bag, extracting a package about the size of a cigar box brightly-wrapped in silver paper. He placed it on the desk and pushed it across to me.

“I know, Doc, and I knew you’d feel real bad about it. I thought this might cheer you up a little. Made it myself.”

Speechless, I carefully unwrapped a wooden box with an intricate inlay of a bird on the lid and scrolls of a yellow wood encircling the periphery.

“Not bad, eh?” he said. “Now the box is amboyna burl from Southeast Asia. One of the most exotic burls around. Chinese emperors used to hoard it like gold. Now they use it to make the dashboards on those high-end Mercedes. Just a delight to feel it in your hands, isn’t it? Like butter.”

He reached across to outline the yellow scrollwork inlaid on the sides. “Now that’s East Indian satinwood,” he said excitedly. “India and Sri Lanka. Tightest grain you ever saw. Hold it up to the light and it looks like it’s embedded with diamonds.”

I ran my hand over the polished surface, turning it to catch the light, catching some of Alvin’s enthusiasm for the natural beauty of the wood and marveling at the craftsmanship.

“The bird,” he said, “is my poor attempt at a phoenix. Lots of different woods in it for the colors: bloodwood for the fire, granadillo for most of the body, plum for the wings, some ebony for the talons. Whaddaya think?”

I stared slack-jawed at the man who’d just received a death sentence. “Alvin,” I managed, “it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Knew you’d like it,” he said, his voice smiling for him. “Thanks for being my doc. We gave it a good run didn’t we?”

Her Lover Will Not Cheat Again After His Revenge

OMG! LOL.

Sad, though. Fiction? I have no clue.

Probably. Fiction.

But a fun story never the less.

Who was the man with the most exceptional trading skills ever existed?

Kyle McDonald, a guy (26 years old at the time of the events) who in 2006 managed to trade his way from a single red paperclip to a house.

It happened in Kipling Saskatchewan, Canada. In July 2005, Kyle posted an ad on Craigslist: “My name is Kyle, I’m an unemployed 26-year-old Canadian, I want a house in exchange, starting the trade by offering the red paperclip on my desk.” The idea came from a popular Canadian children’s game called “Bigger and Better,” which involves trading an object for something bigger or better until you get what you want. It took 14 trades and one year, but he finally succeeded.

The first to respond, two days after the initial blog post, were Rhawnie and Corinna: via email, they offered a wooden fish-shaped pen. Kyle went to Vancouver and met them, completed the trade, then posted their photo on his blog. And so, he waited for another trade. In Seattle, the pen was traded for a ceramic doorknob made by a lady named Annie. The doorknob turned into a barbecue, then a gas-powered generator (September 24). Within weeks, the internet buzz about young McDonald’s idea reached the media, and CNN and BBC competed for his interviews. The electric generator was traded for a beer keg, a snowmobile, a trip for two to Yak, British Columbia (February 2006), until he got a van and a record contract with Metal Works (February 22, 2006).

Later, he could trade the contract for a year’s free stay in a house in Phoenix. Kyle accepted, updated his blog, and started again. But renting wasn’t enough for him; he wanted his own house. Then came the real turning point in Kyle’s already lucky story: metal rocker Alice Cooper offered an afternoon in his company in exchange for the year’s rent. Leslie, an employee of Alice Cooper’s restaurant in Phoenix, lived in the apartment rent-free for twelve months. After closing the deal, Kyle had many offers to choose from, and he made the only trade that seemed like a loss: the afternoon with Alice Cooper went to Mark Herrmann of Kentucky, for a KISS band glowing orb. His popularity helped in the search, and in February, director Corbin Bernsen offered a role in his next movie in exchange for the KISS orb. At this point, the town of Kipling stepped forward, offering McDonald a recently renovated house in exchange for his role in Bernsen’s film.

It was July 5, 2006, a year had passed.

Kyle had made it, and on the lawn of his little house with red windows, there’s a large red metal paperclip.

What was the most unexpected knock you got on your door?

I live in the wilderness. One night, just after dark, I get a knock at the door. Other than a few neighbors who would have phoned. I live miles into the woods, and nobody knocks on the door after dark.

I go to the door and there’s an older man and a woman, in pretty rough clothes, the man is holding a pretty beaten up rifle.

He claims that they went scouting elk in the morning, left their car, and went on foot, and got lost. The rifle was just for protection from Grizzlies. He was going to show his girlfriend a valley of elk, that would blow her away.

I hated to break it to him, that there had been no elk in that valley since the wolves moved in.

Elk season didn’t start for another week, he had planned on poaching. But here was a couple in their late sixties that had been walking for 8 hours, so guest rules were in place.

So I offered them a drink. He wanted a ride to his car.

I explained that it was a 40 mile drive, half of it on rough roads. Even though his car was only 10 miles as the crow flys away.

So we hopped in my truck, I took his gun, before we got in the truck. Though, with my hands on the steering wheel, he could have taken it while I was driving. But it was a good faith gesture.

It took close to an hour to get them to their car. I waited until they got it started, and they drove out ahead of me.

Of course, they were flat busted, and I wouldn’t even ask for gas money, because they didn’t look like they had a penny.

What is the biggest scam an auto mechanic ever tried on you?

Went to a local mechanic to get some tires replaced on my vehicle my current set was bald and I was traveling from North Carolina to Florida.

After the tires were changed everything seemed fine until I got above 60 miles an hour at which point there was a severe rattling/wobbling coming from the rear end.

After the Florida trip I took my car back to them they told me I needed a new rear axle. Never had that kind of problem before so I took it to the dealership I bought it from. They examined the car and asked me why I had roughly 6 extra ounces of weight on my passenger rear tire on the back side of the rim. I said I don’t know please remove it they did problem was solved. The dealership didn’t charge me anything.

Upon returning home I went to the scam artists and said I am going to do everything I can and tell everybody I can not to use their services and why. Even went so far as to keep the weight strip in my car to show people.

We live in a very small town and word travels fast they we’re shuttered never to open again 6 months later.

Commander’s Palace Sour Cream Pecan Coffee Cake

Ingredients

Cake

• 1 cup (2 sticks) softened unsalted butter
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream

Pecan Filling

• 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter well a 10 inch Bundt pan and dust with flour, shaking out the excess.

Cake

1. In a bowl with an electric mixer beat the butter until smooth.
2. Add the sugar, a little at a time, and beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy.
3. Beat in the vanilla extract and the eggs, one at a time.
4. Into a bowl sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture, beating slowly until just combined.
6. Fold in the sour cream.

Pecan Filling

1. In a bowl combine filling ingredients. Spoon 2/3 of the batter into the prepared pan, sprinkle the top with the pecan filling, gently pressing filling into batter, going completely around the cake until all remaining nut mixture is used. Add remaining batter to pan and smooth top.
2. Bake for 1 hour, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. If necessary, loosely cover top of cake with piece of aluminum foil to prevent overbrowning.
3. Let cool on a rack in the pan for 5 minutes.
4. Invert onto the rack and let cool completely.

Why I fear leaving America going to Africa

What is the worst restaurant incident you have seen?

A corporate party in a 4 star restaurant a guest was talking full advantage of the open bar, and when told he would not be served he grabbed at the bartender.

The bartender was a former Michigan state police officer and he grabbed the man’s hand and was punched in the side of the face.

An all call went out for help as every bus boy, prep and chef poured into this party and restrained the drunken patron.

As they attempted to evict him he dropped to the ground. The two chefs, large, strong and burly, fell with him. They lay there on the steps holding his arms when the police came through the door yelling at us.

“LET HIM GO!” the officer commanded. And so they did.

This drunk idiot screamed, shook off the chefs, blew past me and attacked the cop!

I’ve never seen a baton wielded in such a dramatic fashion. From his side it smoothly went up and across that man’s head with a this and a “uhg” he dropped like a rock.

The dining room didn’t react at all. We all went back to work.

The romantic gender

Why are things made in China inexpensive? Is it because of the cheap labor or the cheap plastic?

Go figure!

Your U.S. CEO earns 100 times that of Chinese CEO! Your Employees earn 5 times Chinese worker but Chinese workers work twice as hard. Your employees expect 10 times more benefits yet product half the Chinese worker productivity.

Your ports and infrastructure is dilapidated China’s infrastructure is state of the art latest technology. You turn our bill shit artist and Chinese workers are well educated, willing to learn and highly driven.

Every shit you do China will do it better, do it faster and do it way cheaper than you. So go figure why everything China do is get done at a fraction of your cost! It is not nuclear science!

Judging by money output

Which is the most powerful country today?

CHINA, in every respect, I know every yank will say the USA but I don’t think so, not anymore, mainly because of their debt, and growing daily, yes, the US have a very powerful navy, but SO WHAT? Ships can be sunk, and sunk quickly, missiles are the thing these days, and China is way ahead with their hypersonic missiles, double the speed of US ones. According to all reports. Also, they run rings around the US in speed and cost of manufacturing. Which also puts China in front.

Have you ever stumbled across a valuable rare find at a garage/yard sale or a secondhand store and knew you were getting too good of a deal? If you bought it, did you feel guilty and tell the other party what you found was worth at some point?

An elderly neighbor died. He was a mechanic before he retired and had a large set of tools. His widow held a garage sale to get rid of his things, and she had a large rolling tool chest, filled with the tools of his trade, marked at $25. I took her aside and told her “Withdraw that from the sale. It is marked way low. I will sell it for you.” She demurred, but I talked her into it.

Three phone calls later I had it sold for $1500 to another mechanic I knew. I also managed to sell the rest of his tools at a good price over the next few weeks, including a few I bought myself at fair market price.

Sleeping at night is worth more to me than getting a good deal at a yard sale.

Why are there so many shelters for abused women in America, but almost no shelters for abused men?

Because (many) human beings think in terms of archetypes, not individuals, and the archetype of the abuse survivor is not a man.

I recently (last year) had a conversation about this with a therapist who works with abuse survivors. She was quite blunt and up-front about it. She said (paraphrasing) “A man can have video of a woman hitting him, and many people will still insist he can’t be an abuse victim.”

Liberals often make this about politics. A lot of liberals will point to toxic ideas about masculinity common in conservative circles (men are stronger than women, women can’t be a threat to men, women are kind and nurturing while men are aggressive and warlike) and say “therein lies the problem.”

While there is some truth to that—-some people do discount the idea men can be abuse survivors because they hold traditional gender-essentialist ideas about men and women—liberals have their own dirty closets when it comes to this issue as well.

A lot of liberals will say “believe survivors” when what they actually mean is “believe women,” and “believe women” when what they actually mean is “believe cis white women.” (Trans women? Women of color? They have a very different experience when they talk about being abused. I personally know a woman who says “believe women” who silenced a woman of color when she came forward about abuse.)

So, why does this happen?

Because people think in archetypes.

This isn’t actually about left or right, and it isn’t even about abuse. Step back for a moment. What’s the first thing, the very first thing, that pops into your head when you visualize a welfare recipient?

For a great many Americans, the prototypical welfare recipient is an inner-city black single mother.

Would it surprise you to know there are more white people than black people who receive welfare in the United States?[1]

This is an archetype: a quick mental image of the exemplar of a group. Many Americans think the exemplar of the group “welfare recipients” is “inner city black single mother.” Many Americans think the exemplar of the group “abuse victim” is “cis white woman.”

People make judgments based on archetypes, not individuals. People who make public policy decisions think in terms of archetypes, not individuals. When the archetype of “abuse victim” is “white women,” you build shelters around…white women.

And the thing is, even people who will tell you “oh, yeah, I know anyone can be a victim” don’t act like that’s true, not really. Liberals will point out hypocrisy in conservatives and conservatives will point out the same hypocrisy in liberals, but this is a “humans think in terms of groups” problem, not a left/right problem.

The very same conservative who will say “those social justice warriors always go on about how men are bad and women are perfect” also think that a real man, a strong alpha man, is not a weak pathetic pussy who would ever be hurt by a woman.

The very same liberals who will say “those knuckle-dragging conservative Neanderthals always sneer at beta males weak enough to let themselves get pushed around by a woman” also think that in any patriarchal society abuse is always a phenomenon perpetuated by men against women.

They both have the same archetype. They have it for different reasons, but ultimately they have the same archetype.

tl;dr: Because sexism.

Footnotes

[1]

Americans Are Mistaken About Who Gets Welfare

What’s an unpopular opinion you have about relationships?

My husband and I have a very “boring” relationship. We don’t fight, we don’t “just pick up our backpacks and go for a vacation”, and we don’t indulge in “let’s do something crazy” moments. For (up to now) over twelve years together (including get-to-know-each-other, relationship, and marriage), we haven’t done anything “just because”. Anything we do, we have a plan for it.

The love my husband has for me is not the kind of love that the teenage me once dreamed about (I always dreamed that someone would love me like Gatsby loved Daisy). His love is not a love that burns like lava, seething with passion. His love is like the essence of life, filtered through time and crystalizes into a steady, solid, giant rock that I can lean on. His love is so tangible that I feel I could see it and touch it.

And I believe it’s the best kind of love one could ever ask for.

We often dream about someone that willing to die for love, willing to die for us, and we are willing to die for them. Yet, I’ve come to understand that we don’t need an eventful relationship to feel fulfilled. It’s far more enriching to have someone that we are willing to live for, to build a life together.