All except for one jackass in the back of the room who was so caught up on himself and was just being a disruptive prick. A real-life shit-poster. A real jack-ass. An asshole.
But that being said, aside from the one prick, the rest of the one hundred or so folk in the room were mesmerized by the amazing music coming from that piano. It was just an amazing time, and something that I have never forgotten.
Firstly, because the music was so, so very talented, and we were all in the close-close-close up front seat to it.
Secondly, the disconnect from reality that idiots and pricks have to the rest of society. They are misfits, and if they were removed from society, the world would be a much calmer and peaceful place.
Ah…
Enjoy this tune from the group Yes…
Today…
Do most animals know they are going to be slaughtered?
Almost everyone knows that, unfortunately.
Just yesterday, I read a testimonial from a man who worked at a slaughterhouse for several years, and it was not a pleasant experience at all — for both the animals and the man and his colleagues.
He explained that often cows panic in the most heartbreaking way when they see another cow lying slaughtered on the floor, then realize that it is about to happen.
And when they realized that.
Fear is literally the ultimate killer, and — you may be surprised to learn this — many slaughterhouse workers absolutely hate seeing these poor animals panic and suffer.
(Many of them hate their jobs)
A friend who works as a veterinarian once told me about pigs, slaughterhouses are often soundproofed so that the pigs lining up to wait their turn do not hear the screams and cries of their poor fellows.
If they hear it, they will usually become so stressed and scared that they die of a heart attack.
Needless to say, the soundproof room is not to the poor pigs’ advantage: the reality is that if a pig dies of a heart attack, the regulations state that their meat cannot be used for consumption.
I’m not sure that animals, like chickens, are aware of what’s happening in the slaughterhouse – there’s not much going on in their brains, and they have a poor understanding of what death is.
S***, a chicken barely knows it’s alive.
But in the case of more intelligent animals such as cows and pigs, it has been intensively studied and confirmed that they actually understand what is happening, or what is going to happen:
“Pigs have at least the cognitive awareness of monkeys,” Marino said, commenting on the Australian slaughterhouse video. The high-pitched screams, he said, were “a distress call.”
Pigs have individual personalities, Marino said. They are also one of the few species that can recognize themselves in a mirror.
And yes, I admit, Budiman readers, I am not a vegetarian.
But I also have to admit that I really don’t like this at all.
Not even a little.
Ukraine’s $500 billion rare earths scam: they don’t exist, and we should know better
Ukraine has NO rare earth minerals.
What role do middle powers like South Korea, Indonesia, and Vietnam play in mediating or exacerbating tensions between the U.S. and China in the Indo-Pacific, and how might their policies shift in the coming years?
South Korea is an occupied country, and the CFC’s (combined forces command) incumbent commander looks like this.
Yes, an American 4-star, and he may very well be the most powerful army general in the US military today. In wartime, he has 600k active and 3.5m reservist soldiers to deploy, in addition to American reinforcements.
I kid you not. Even the CFC’s HQ is housed in Camp Humphreys, Pyeongtaek.
Here’s an interesting geopolitical nugget. South Korea normalized relations with a Beijing a full 11 years after Japan, in 1983.
In the grand scheme of east Asian geopolitics, south Korea is at best a sometimes unwilling puppet, and not much more.
It is no middle power.
As for Vietnam, it has a substantial population that has crossed 100m, placing 16th globally and 3rd in SEA. that’s remarkable, given the savagery of the Vietnam War.
Vietnam is unique in indochina because of its sinicized culture and organization. It is not well known that despite the overhyped “China threat” and oppression of the Hoa, Vietnam only shares 30% of its political border with China. The other 70% demarcates the geographic footprint of indic influence.
That is why Vietnam looks like a brinjal on the map.
Vietnam did not suffer as much as Thailand, Malaysia or Indonesia during the ’97 AFC. It avoided recession because it wasn’t integrated into the dollar-denominated global financial system. As a consequence, it has been able to keep defense spending above 2% GDP this century, unlike neighbors that dipped below 1%.
Vietnam’s military triumph over the US gave the Vietnamese people a much-needed shot of confidence that they are in charge of their own destiny, and fully capable of taking care of their own backyard. The Vietnamese military though, is still some distance from completing its modernization.
As far as indochina is concerned, the US hasn’t demonstrated interest in aggressively wooing partners to counter China, other than the usual NGO/media tactics.
As long as Donald spares indochina the rod, Vietnam will politely ask the Americans if they’d like milk and sugar in their cà phê, but not much else. They know which side the bread’s buttered on, where development-driven growth is concerned.
Vietnam hasn’t courted controversy or drama, and it is focused on self-improvement. There is a litany of domestic challenges that require hanoi’s urgent attention, and Beijing can help.
I think Wang Yi’s use of Jin Yong’s metaphor at Munich ’25 is appropriate here.
他强任他强，清风拂山岗；
他横任他横，明月照大江
Let them be strong—the gentle breeze still sweeps the mountain ridge;
Let them be fierce—the bright moon still shines over the great river.
This poetic line, famously from The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, conveys a philosophy of resilience and inner calm. It suggests that no matter how aggressive or overpowering external forces may seem (“strong” or “fierce”), one should remain unshaken and serene, like a mountain steadied by a breeze or a river reflecting the moon. The imagery emphasizes steadfastness and tranquility in the face of adversity.
As for Indonesia, it is the largest country in asean, in both land and population. Indonesia has always seen itself as a leader of SEA, and it smells an opportunity to ascend the economic ladder as a regional powerhouse.
Jokowi’s steady hand has righted Indonesia’s course over the past decade. He has handed over a carefully steered economy in rude health to Prabowo.
Prabowo’s first diplomatic visit after winning the election was to call on Beijing, openly courting the Chinese and pledging friendship and cooperation. It may come as a mild shock to many but today’s Indonesia may very well be the most China-friendly country in SEA.
Indonesia already has front row seats in the BRI (the jakarta-bandung HSR has already transported >8m passengers since 2023) and BRICS+. Economic integration with China is only going to grow in the coming decade.
A China-friendly Indonesia reduces the risk of say india/US attempting a blockade of the Malacca Straits via the Andaman/Nicobar or the Five Eyes using the Archipelago to threaten the SCS.
As a major population center and a victim of the ’97 AFC, Indonesia has a significant role to play in the pivot away from the global financial order, a “no-option” monopoly today comprising the dollar and SWIFT. Russia’s frozen $300b is THE object lesson in the urgent need for alternatives.
As long as peace prevails in East Asia, Indonesia has a bright future ahead as a stabilizing force in SEA.
Southwestern Chicken Lasagna
Ingredients
1 (16 ounce) package lasagna noodles
2 eggs
24 ounces small curd cottage cheese
Chopped parsley (optional)
1 small can green chile peppers, chopped
Jalapeño peppers, chopped (as per your taste)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon comino (cumin)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 to 6 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-size pieces
8 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
8 ounces shredded mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese
Red or yellow pepper rings, sliced thin (optional)
Instructions
Make lasagna noodles as directed; drain and set aside.
Make cottage cheese mixture by stirring together the eggs, cottage cheese, parsley and a black pepper. Set aside.
To make the chicken mixture: In a large skillet, put a little butter or oil to coat bottom, then add onions, red and green peppers, and garlic and cook and stir over medium heat until tender. Stir in the tomato sauce, enchilada sauce, chili powder, cumin, black pepper, green chiles and jalapeños. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Simmer, uncovered, for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
Put on low and and cover and the chicken. Stir and allow the flavors to come together. Cook, stirring occasionally for 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit.
Lightly spray a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan.
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
To assemble the lasagna, place a little of the sauce on the bottom to coat the pan. Then place about 4 or 5 lasagna noodles down first. Then spread half of the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles. Top with about half of the chicken/sauce mixture, and cover with each of the cheeses separately. Repeat with noodles, remaining cottage cheese mixture, and chicken/sauce, then more cheese. Leave just enough sauce and cheese to cover the third and final layer of noodles.
Place the remaining noodles on top with a coating of sauce and remainder of cheese. Top with thin slices of red, yellow, or green pepper for garnish.
Bake for about 50 minutes or until bubbly.
Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting and serving.
Preparing For The Unexpected: The Bug-Out Bag
Sunday, Dec 08, 2024 – 11:10 AM
Authored by Emma Suttie D.Ac, AP via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
It’s the middle of the night. You wake from a deep sleep and smell smoke. When you come to, you see flames in the next room and realize your house is on fire.
This is just one of many scenarios that can happen—at any time—to anyone. You may need to act in an instant, and having a bug-out bag prepared can help you mitigate the challenges emergencies present and ensure you have what you need to survive during—and after—the emergency.
Bug-Out Bags Defined
Bug-out bags go by many different names:
- Go bag
- 72-hour bag
- Evacuation bag
- Disaster survival kit
- Emergency kit
These kits equip you with essential tools and supplies to handle a variety of emergencies and disasters. Backpacks are typically used for portability, which becomes crucial if you need to evacuate your home quickly or travel long distances on foot.
Creek Stewart is a survival expert, instructor, and author who incorporates practical survival skills, resilience, and personal growth in his teaching. In a previous interview with The Epoch Times, he spoke about emergency preparedness.
Stewart, author of “Build the Perfect Bug-Out Bag,” said he’s learned from survival that the darkest times can provide our greatest resources—physical and psychological.
“All the good resources in life that build character and integrity and resilience, they’re all found in the worst places of life. God uses hard times to build character and integrity, and those are built in the dark times and tested on the mountain peaks,” he added.
Your bug-out bag should not be too heavy to carry long distances during an emergency. For example, if your car breaks down, or you need to flee on foot because of a forest fire or other natural disaster.
Preparing in advance allows you the time to decide what you’ll need to survive in various worst-case scenarios. Without this preparation, you could be scrambling to gather supplies as a storm approaches or during an emergency—when you’re likely to be stressed and overwhelmed.
Stewart says there’s no need to make it complicated, and having a bug-out bag tucked away can give you peace of mind.
“It doesn’t have to cost thousands of dollars—it can be really simple, and you get to touch on a lot of different elements of survival,” he said.
A well-thought-out bug-out bag can mean the difference between being afraid and overwhelmed and calm and collected—enabling you to better handle the challenges ahead.
Example Situations
Having one bag packed with essentials and ready to go is crucial in a wide variety of situations. Some examples include:
An evacuation is ordered due to a coming storm—you grab your bag and leave quickly.
You wake up to a house fire or a wildfire headed your way.
A robber breaks into your house, and you need to get out fast.
A family member is critically injured in an accident, and you need to get to the hospital as soon as possible.
A natural disaster forces you from your home, and you and your family spend weeks in a shelter.
Your city is attacked by bombing or a bioweapon.
A dam breaks near your community, and you need to leave before your home floods.
One of your children falls out of a tree in your yard, and you grab your bag (which contains medical supplies) to help them.
Riots break out near your home, and you want to leave to avoid potential problems.
Contents
Although it may initially seem overwhelming when planning what you may need in an emergency, Stewart says there are five main categories to consider when putting together your bug-out bag:
Shelter
Water
Fire
Food
First-aid
Don’t forget supplies for your pets.
Resources such as Ready.gov and the American Red Cross have lists of supplies to include in your emergency preparedness kit. Some examples are:
Water (one gallon per person per day)
Non-perishable food (several days worth)
Flashlight and extra batteries
Battery-powered or hand-crank radio
First-aid-kit
Lighters, matches, and candles kept in containers or resealable bags to keep them dry
Medications (at least a 7-day supply)
Whistle (to signal for help)
Multi-purpose tool, wrench, pliers (to turn off utilities if needed)
Tarps or plastic sheeting, scissors, and duct tape (for shelter)
Personal sanitation/hygiene items (wet wipes, toilet paper, pads/tampons, garbage bags, plastic ties)
Can opener
Cell phones and chargers
Maps
Copies of important documents like driver’s licenses, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies, and medical records/medication lists, sealed in a waterproof, resealable bag (in case of rain or flooding)
Blankets
A clean change of clothing, including an outer layer, like a rain jacket (in winter, have gloves, hat, scarf, and heavy socks)
Comfortable running shoes or hiking boots (as you may need to walk long distances)
Stewart recommends additional items in his book “Disaster Survival 101” that include:
Backpacking tent big enough for everyone in your household
Sleeping bags and sleeping pads
Rain gear/poncho
Emergency survival blanket (these are pocket-sized)
Camping water filter
1-liter metal canteen filled with fresh drinking water
1–2 collapsible plastic water containers
Sillcock key (for accessing commercial water spigots)
Ferrocerium rod fire starter, disposable lighter, fire tinder
Open-and-eat meals (tuna packs, Spam, power bars, beef jerky, and dried snacks)
Small camp stove
Utensils and serving bowls
Bar of soap in a resealable bag
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Fixed-blade knife
Small folding saw
Rechargeable headlamp
Personal firearms, pepper spray for self-defense
Permanent marker
Duct tape
Entertainment items like a deck of cards or portable games, which are great for kids
Each capable adult should have a bug-out bag, and some of the above items don’t need to be included for each person (for example, you only need one tent). Children should only carry lightweight essentials.
Because you don’t know where you will be when an emergency strikes, it is advisable to have bug-out bags in different locations, like home, work, and in your car.
Bug-out bags should be reviewed every few months to ensure foods haven’t expired and to swap out clothing for the appropriate season. Stewart suggests taking your fully loaded bag and hiking for several miles to ensure it’s comfortable and not too heavy.
According to The Prepared, a highly regarded resource for practical survival skills, the optimal weight of your bag is about 20 percent of your body weight or 45 pounds (whichever is less) if you don’t exercise regularly. Those who are physically fit can go up to 30 percent of their body weight (or 60 pounds, whichever is less).
Personal Safety
Self-defense is also something to think about when planning your bug-out bag. Stewart says that crime spikes are inevitable during natural disasters and that looting and home invasions are common. Self-defense items are a personal choice, with multiple options—both lethal and non-lethal. These include, but are not limited to:
Firearms
Pepper spray
Tasers (shoots two metal prongs into attackers’ skin to deliver an electric charge)
Stun guns (require direct contact and deliver a high-voltage shock)
Know your state’s gun laws and licensing requirements when considering self-defense options. States also have laws and regulations regarding tasers and stun guns. Additionally, consider that weapons in untrained hands can be more dangerous to the user than the intended target.
If you include firearms, take a training course (or several), have the relevant paperwork, and know the laws in your state for carrying and using firearms. Stewart advises adding a self-defense tool you are comfortable with to your emergency preparedness plan. This measure enhances your safety and your family’s security in a crisis.
Some self-defense options for your bug out bag. Courtesy of Creek Stewart
Common Mistakes
There is much to think about when preparing for an emergency, and there are common mistakes people make when packing their bug-out bags—which can be costly in an emergency. Some examples, according to The Prepared, are:
Making bags too heavy—Be sure to test your bag with all its contents to ensure you can carry it comfortably.
Forgetting water—remember, you can only survive three days without it.
Not testing your gear—An emergency is not the time you want to be figuring out how to use your camping stove or water filter, so test your gear beforehand.
Packing contents for specific scenarios—It’s important to pack for a variety of potential disasters.
Having too many of one type of item—Have a well-rounded bag of items for more resiliency, for instance, don’t pack more weapons than food.
Overlooking your feet—You may have to do a lot of walking with a heavy pack in a worst-case scenario, so comfortable shoes and a few pairs of socks are critical.
Buying cheap gear—It’s better to buy fewer quality items that you can depend on rather than cheap gear that could fail in an emergency.
Taking things out of your bag to use when camping or hiking—Keep your bug-out bag intact at all times. Borrowing from it for other events could compromise your bag and, ultimately, your resilience in an emergency.
Final Thoughts
Planning for emergencies and worst-case scenarios can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Preparing in advance allows you the time to think logically and make thoughtful decisions—before a crisis hits. In the middle of an emergency, when chaos reigns and clear thinking is difficult, having a plan in place can make all the difference.
Go through any supplies you already have on hand for your bug-out bag, and keep it simple. Anything you can do preemptively will increase your resilience.
Communicate with those in your household about what you would do in an emergency, know the location of your bug-out bags, and where you would meet if you got separated and had to leave your home.
The time and effort you invest in planning and building your bug-out bag will pay dividends in an emergency—and could even save your life. As Stewart said in a Ted Talk, when it comes to sudden and unexpected survival scenarios, it’s not a matter of if they happen but when.
Why is no one caring about men’s issues?
Because no one does care. Men get zero empathy from women and little to none from other men. Men are the disposable gender so you should never have any expectation of being treated fairly by society.
Anyone who advocates for men’s rights is instantly belittled if not outright attacked or ‘cancelled’ by feminists with the silent support of society at large. Including those few women who speak out like Cassie Jaye and her movie ‘The Red Pill’ which came under viscous attack and was constantly slandered by the mainstream media and feminist groups the world over.
Male disposability has been talked about extensively over several decades. If you are interested in the topic a good place to start would be with Warren Farrell and his book ‘The Myth of Male Power’. There are plenty of YouTube videos on the topic available for further research. Also look up Men’s Rights Advocate groups that exist the world over. I’m sure they will have information on their websites to assist you.
If foreign car companies are now building cars in the USA, Mexico, and Canada, and since pickup trucks are best sellers in the US, why are we not seeing more foreign trucks, like Mazda or Subaru?
It’s simple
Pickup Trucks are POWER GUZZLERS with Extreme Performance
No Asian equivalent for them because Asians don’t have the concept of a Pickup Truck in their countries
This is what we call a Pickup Truck and use it for commercially hauling stuff from one place to another
This is one in China
Sure we do have Isuzu and others who make Pickup Trucks that resemble the US Trucks but they aren’t half as powerful
Like I keep saying OUR ENGINES ARE DESIGNED FOR FUEL EFFICIENCY
The US makes Pickup Trucks that are strong, Powerful and meant for their terrain with a 4*4 and guzzling away gas
Ford , GMC are the most preferred
Mazda does faithfully try to make and sell Pickup up Trucks but the Truck owners are those Rust Belt Americans who are ferociously devoted to American Brands and who always buy the same brand again and again
Ford Men buy Ford
GMC guys buy GMC
Nissan and Mazda are scoffed at
They may do well in California or Chicago or some such city but in a downright Rust Belt State – that’s where Ford and GM call the shots and even a Chevy is looked upon as “Foreign”
Mississippi Burning 1988 – Interrogation scene (1080p)
How have Chinese markets been affected by Trump’s recent tariff announcement? Is this part of an ongoing negotiation or could it have more serious implications?
USA has 4% of the world population and at best 10% of potential world demand. That means there are 90% of other opportunities to do business with the rest of the world. If Trump’s action caused a 25% less US business for China and China by focusing on the sells 10% more to the rest of the world say smart phones where today they sell 100 million a year. The nett effect is they lose 2.5 million units sales to the USA but increase 9 million sets world wide, China will be selling 6.5 more than before Trumps suicidal actions!
The US meanwhile stir up inflation, increased its poverty and reduce their citizens real income all to make China more successful world wide and less dependent on the US! Make sense America and learn maths, you guys sucks at it!
In 2025 ISS Astronauts See That on Earth Nuclear War Broke Out
Why are Americans still against universal healthcare after decades of abuse from health insurance companies?
Because they’ve had decades of slick, highly polished propaganda from insurance company marketers.
I’ll give you an example:
When you talk to someone who’s strongly opposed to universal health care, one of the arguments you’ll likely hear—I’ve heard this argument trotted out over and over again—is that insurance company profits are quite small, typically between 2% and 3.3%.
That makes people believe that health insurance companies only add a tiny percentage to healthcare costs: two or three percent.
Wrong. Wrongo Wrongo wrong wrong wrong.
This is the Minnetonka headquarters of UnitedHealth:
The cost of this building is not included in their profits.
The cost of paying every person who works in this building is not included in their profits.
The cost of the thousands of other buildings they own and the 440,000 people they employ (yes, seriously, 440,000 people) is not included in their profits.
The cost of their investments is not included in their profits. When you send your insurance premium in, that money doesn’t sit in a bank account. The insurance companies invest it in for-profit enterprises. For example UnitedHealth is a huge landlord, with over a billion dollars’ worth of rental housing in its portfolio, administered by a large network of subsidiaries you probably have no idea are associated with a health insurer.
In 2023, UnitedHealth posted total revenue of $371,600,000,000 and paid out $308,428,000,000 in medical claims, for a difference of $63,172,000,000.
That’s sixty-three billion dollars just one insurance company brought in that did not go to paying for healthcare.
So no, private for-profit insurance does not add only 2% to healthcare costs.
But their propaganda makes it sound like it does, and a lot of Americans believe that it does.
And that’s not even counting the ridiculous made-up horror stories about wait times and such in places with universal healthcare. Those stories are obviously absurd, but most Americans never travel abroad so they have no idea how ridiculous the lies are that they’re swallowing.
Best Taco Meat
Perfectly seasoned, Best Taco Meat will definitely become your go-to taco filling.
Ingredients
- 1 pound 80/20 ground beef*
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 cup water
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook ground beef and onion to a skillet over medium heat until ground beef is cooked through. Drain any excess fat and return to skillet.
- Add minced garlic, tomato paste, seasonings and water and stir to combine. Salt and pepper to taste. Let the mixture simmer until the sauce has thickened, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Serve hot with tortillas, in taco shells or in taco salad.
In light of the shooting of Brian Thompson will Trump finally reveal details of his wonderful new health care plan? The one that he constantly promised would be revealed in the new two weeks that never appeared?
We as a society need to get used to something: You cannot shame a Trump supporter.
(A Trump supporter demonstrating how much shame he has)
It’s impossible. Of course Trump won’t deliver a healthcare plan. At best (worst) he’ll trash large parts of the Affordable Care Act, and tell his supporters he fixed it.
Do you think they’ll believe him? Do you think they’ll know he’s lying.
I’m here to tell you it doesn’t matter.
Let me say it louder: IT DOESN’T MATTER!
That’s not the itch Trump is scratching for his worshippers. Oh, a few here and there will care when he doesn’t deliver – or worse, when he does deliver and it destroys their lives, such as with the incoming tariffs. But the overwhelming majority of them care about one thing and one thing only: He’s going to hurt people they hate, thereby validating the hate in their minds.
Logically, it doesn’t make sense to hate trans people. They’re hurting no one, they’re a tiny proportion of the population, and they’re far less of a danger to people around them than (for example) youth pastors.
Throw that reasoning out the window. It doesn’t matter.
Logically, it doesn’t make sense to hate immigrants. This country is literally built on immigration, and immigrants are far less likely to commit crimes, even the ones who initially committed a crime by being here without documentation. In fact, especially those.
Throw that reasoning out the window. It doesn’t matter.
Logically, it doesn’t make sense to hate women. They’re slightly more than half the population, and misogyny just makes you repellant to many of the people who might otherwise be in your social circle.
Throw that reasoning out the window. It doesn’t matter.
In order to feel shame for one’s actions or words, one has to be cognizant of two things:
- That those actions or words were hurtful.
- That the targets of your hurtful behavior didn’t deserve it.
What Trump does is short-circuit that second realization. He tells his worshippers that the targets of their hate absolutely do deserve it, and therefore there’s no need to feel bad about mistreating them.
That is the only thing they care about. They couldn’t care less if Trump lies to them about healthcare or any other topic (at least, until it affects them personally). He makes them feel good about and justified in their hate, and that’s enough for them.
Now, a word about behavior in comments. If you want to argue that it’s actually Trump’s policies that you support, I’m going to hold your feet to the fire: You must describe the policies you support, with credible citations to indicate that he has actually articulated the policies you’re ascribing to him.
If you don’t, I will delete your comment and block you. I have zero patience left for Trump supporters who won’t back their arguments up. So if you want a voice here, you know what you have to do.
I predict this will result in minimal comments on this answer, but by all means, prove me wrong.
The Island of Dr. Mon Santos
Submitted into Contest #150 in response to: Write about a character who has access to a powerful new technology before anyone else.… view prompt
Bad CatZ
The Island of Dr. Mon Santos
ACT I
I sing of the world as we fear it, hear my tale, and be warned of the day of many woes, the day genetically modified organisms become the mainstream in our society.
Rising to the podium is a boy who grew into a 28-year-old genius, now accepting his Nobel peace prize for his contribution to the advancement of genetically modified plants.
As the somewhat young and handsome creator of superfast foods, fast food that can be cooked with high-speed digital ovens and help you lose weight, the world that didn’t want to change their eating habits, start new exorcises, or just cut back a little, rewards him with our societies highest honor.
As he gives his speech he reminisces of his father, the man who put him on a pedestal all his life and convinced his son that ‘genius is in what you do, not what you know.’, a life lesson that rings more true now than ever in Edward Mon Santos’ mind while he speaks to the scientific community as their intellectual superior dressed in a thin vale of humility under his statement making casual clothes, his mind is in the past, and how he got here, and with bittersweetness, he remembers his father.
##
Four years prior to his Nobel prize, Dr. Edward Mon Santos spoke at his father’s funeral, and it is here that he finally made ‘the leap’, a decision some famous people talk about when they go from being ‘just another person’ to someone that controlled their own destiny.
Before his father’s death, the idea of putting human brain cells into a tree and granting a person virtual immortality was considered crazy, but his father had literally willed his brain cells to science, and his son, a hero in his own mind would be as Percival to the holy grail, he would not give up until he held immortality in his hands.
##
In our current time, the time of Mon Santos, it’s common to see news stories stoking people’s fears of genetically modified organisms, the plain fact is that they stoked it so much we all got bored of hearing about GMO’s and then it all fell into the background noise like shootings, robberies, and homelessness.
When Mon Santos received government clearance to use nuclear cells for research, hardly anyone noticed or cared, except the usual customers, the anti-nuclear crowd, who were silenced when our electric cars started shutting down our power grids since the United States was not built to handle fifty percent of the population using electric cars.
Mon Santos along with other competing corporate backed science groups like chemical companies, roboticist, and engineers, all vied for the same prize, being the ones who can give the world cold fusion and profit the most from it, and it was Mon Santos that came up with the idea of ‘plant-based’ cold fusion, using pods of genetically modified algae and quartz crystal matrices, and that’s how Mon Santos was allowed to go nuclear.
##
In the months after his Nobel prize and world recognition, Mon Santos could still count on a fair share of government spying in the form of regulators and inspectors who served to steal secrets and use them for new military hardware like cold fusion drone submarines.
Under this kind of scrutiny Mon Santos manages to keep the development of the ‘tree of eternity’ a secret, his dream of being the first person to immortalize humanity will not suffer the scrutiny of anyone but him, his use of nuclear materials justified in its noble purpose.
##
Years after his Nobel prize, while superfast foods are widely falling out of fashion and a new ‘get out and do it’ style of travel-based exercises is now all-the-rage with influencers of the day, Mon Santos meets with his closest colleagues and discusses the future he will bring forth with their help, on the Island of Dr. Mon Santos, a paradise outside of any government control or interference, where they will bring in the age of immortality.
Behind the scenes of the news that spreads panic which chases influential celebrities’ opinions of GMOs, the numbers people see that social media influencers generate more views, and sometimes more revenue than some professional news sources, Diana, a mature and seasoned news personality fights for her share of relevancy by proposing to be the source behind a formal expose of Mon Santos, she would not be denied.
Inside the tree of eternity, the consciousness of Dr. Mon Santos’ father is reconstituted through the cellular mitosis of nuclear radiated cells which enhanced growth properties on an atomic level, a man who was once dead is now reborn mind intact, and now that he remembers what it is to be alive, he remembers what drove him to suicide in the first place, with no way out, he festers and grows his seeds of nihilism in the Tree of Eternity.
##
In the coming months after Mon Santos dropped anchor at his private island, leaked footage of animals being subjected to experimentation while on the island of Dr. Mon Santos is shown to a militant group of animal rights activists who decide to ‘launch a campaign’ to end the island of Dr. Mon Santos, to Diana’s delight, the useful idiots she has infiltrated have taken her bait, Diana can’t help but be consumed by daydreams of telling famous interviewers how she got the Mon Santos scoop and a Pulitzer Prize.
Dr. Mon Santos ignores the screaming and yelling of his colleagues as he throws giant slabs of meat to his pet ‘Super Coyotes’ created ‘just because he can’, they are bear-sized coyotes that have been bred to defend the island from trespassers and because as a kid he was told to never play with coyotes, now he has super-coyotes nobody can play with, but at least he’s happy.
It’s now that one is reminded that science can be a double-edged sword, the things that keep the island safe from intruders, make it unsafe for everyone else, including Mon Santos, who travels with armed guards everywhere in case he needs protection from his own creations.
Act.II
The idea of being scared by accident is insulting to an ego such as Mon Santos, ‘we must control our fear.’, he thinks, as he crafts the creation of so-called altered beasts, genetically modified humanoid-animal hybrid beings with enhanced animal qualities that make them ideal for replacing robots and people for a multitude of tasks, including fighting war.
It is by the tooth and nail of the altered beasts who pick bunches of GMO bananas which are too heavy for any human to pick, that decimate and mutilated an undercover agent working for the militant animal rights organization that Diana is embedded in while Diana recorded the whole thing.
Back at the base, Diana shows footage of the group losing two undercover agents working for an animal rights organization killed by a pack of altered beasts while trying to get off the island leading to outrage and calls to violence and more intensive actions by the unhinged mob, who now raise Diana to the upper echelons of their ranks.
Now emboldened with the success of the tree of eternity, and the reconstitution of his father in said tree, Mon Santos rallies his team to push for his dream of plant-based clean energy for developing countries by harnessing the power of GMO plants with human brain cells to create intelligent cold fusion, a climactic speech later, and a good cheer is had by all.
#
Meanwhile, Diana uses her pull as a news personality to spread fake news about GMOs, using her celebrity connections, she enlists an army of useful idiots in the media to bolster non science-based claims of GMO fears and paranoia, all while the truth of the Island of Dr. Mon Santos is waiting to be revealed, in her heart, Diana knows there is a mountain of silver waiting for her to be discovered, just like the Spanish in the Bolivian Andes, all she needs to do is mind the journey.
After the publicity of Diana’s fake GMO news gains traction, Diana’s plan to force Mon Santos into inviting her to the island as his guest is bust, and now the US Government and special interest groups, driven by public outrage of the island, conspire to sabotage the Island of Dr. Mon Santos to force government intervention and to lay claim to the island under imminent domain since most citizens on the island are US citizens, Diana is made to feel the pressure of the FBI to get more information.
#
The sprouts of intelligent plants break through the radioactive soil near the Tree of Eternity, with the little brain cells that they have, the human part of them looks at the size of the Tree of Eternity and hear its thoughts transmitting through the air, and they worship the Tree of Eternity as their deity, their god is named Ben.
Feeling the importance of being worshipped, Dr. Mon Santos’ father, Ben, takes in his newfound sense of importance as the divine Tree of Eternity and demands more power from those he would rule over, the cold fusion plants work hard to please their god and start storing energy producing nuclear isotopes.
#
Back in the laboratory Dr. Mon Santos shows his prudence as he escorts a hand-picked member of the media to show off his super coyotes to, as well as his plant-based cold fusion, unbeknownst to Dr. Mon Santos, the person he is showing his goods to, is a hand-picked spy using the latest in spybot tech, he deploys a transparent bug that takes flight and records all sight and sound, someone back in the FBI might get a bonus for this one.
#
Ben, Dr. Mon Santos’ father, reconstituted as the Tree of Eternity, shares his electromagnetic psychic bond with his congregation of intelligent cold fusion plants with functional human brain cells that worship Ben as a deity, together they feel Ben’s depression and hear the scriptures from the church of Nihilism.
All day they gather their nuclear isotopes and prepare for the ending that has been foretold by the almighty Tree of Eternity.
#
A young man shaking and wounded by super-coyotes, opens a flood gate of grievances about Dr. Mon Santos, he talks to the trees, and a transparent bug talks back from tiny speakers that squeak out the voice of an FBI handler, who coxes the young man into doing their bidding for a coveted golden parachute into a prime government lab.
The young man knows that the FBI’s real job is to steal the secrets of plant-based cold fusion and turn it into a utility for the government to regulate and tax, not immortalize humanity as Mon Santos dreams, even knowing this, he still proceeds to betray Mon Santos and steal secrets.
ACT.III
In the dead of night hushed voices can be heard at Mon Santos’ Altered Beast laboratory, “Are you sure about this?”, one masked woman asks while the masked women she is talking to sabotage a holding cell for an altered beast.
Reassurances are given, and the sabotage continues, “when one of them finally eats it out here, then they will have to rethink what they are doing.”, she refocuses on her work, “and besides, they killed some of us first.”, the lady finishes her work and promptly leaves.
Outside Diana continues to keep a lookout until she is relieved by the squad she came with, Diana, now at the upper echelons of the militant animal rights group commands a well organized and armed group who are now veterans at getting in and out of the island, the secret to dealing with super-coyotes is to fill a can with rocks and shake it, after all, super-coyotes are still coyotes.
##
The next Day Dr. Mon Santos tours the facility with his media correspondent in tow, they cross paths with a few disgruntled employees, including the FBI informant who does his best to pretend he doesn’t know who the media correspondent works for.
While on tour at the altered beast facility, one of the new sea-borne aqua super-coyotes falls upon the media man and tears the man apart while broadcasting live to the news resulting in massive public outrage that utterly ruins the company’s image overnight, the last hope for Mon Santos, he thinks to himself, is to save the good name of Mon Santos.
Here, at the Tree of Eternity, the church of Nihilism hears the thoughts of Ben, who teaches the lesser intelligent plants that the whole point of their existence as living thinking creatures is to reach nirvana, a state of wanting nothing and needing nothing, and he will show them the way to nirvana.
Meanwhile in a closed meeting of governments, the US backed by FBI information, lead a call to vote for seizing the Island of Dr. Mon Santos to stop the spread of altered beasts, now that they are found to have the capabilities to leave the island, the vote concludes in favor of the richest country in the room.
“The path to nirvana is nigh.”, the great one speaks, and the lesser intelligent cold fusion plants feed their radioactive isotopes to their god, the great Ben in the Tree of Eternity, this is the beginning of the end for Ben, and he couldn’t be more excited.
To supplement the needs of their god, the cold-fusion plants grow intelligent humanoid plant monsters that stalk the night looking for places to seed new pods for more cold fusion plants around the island.
##
Five years after his Nobel prize, morning dawns on the debut of Mon Santos’ super bees, giant bees genetically altered to carry nuclear material to their nests where scientist can use equipment to transfer fusion energy from the nests to the power grid, and this is what would be the catalyst to the end of Mon Santos.
Ben, the Eternity Tree now facing the loss of the radioactive isotopes he has painstakingly gathered over the years of growth, is now being harvested by beings that he considered lesser than himself, super bees created by his son to clean up his own image problem.
Without the radioactive isotopes there can be no nirvana, so the godly Tree of Eternity commands his minions to take over the super coyotes and use the radiation to mutate them into defenders of the tree.
Radioactive humanoid plant monsters absorb and mutate super coyotes into flying griffons that defend the Tree of Eternity from swarms of super bees, and soon the island is overrun by altered beast used to control the super bees, who were created to manage the radioactive Tree of eternity, and now that they overrun the security station thanks to Diana’s militant animal rights activist, the island has finally devolved into its final form, total organic anarchy.
Amid the chaos, a special organization of international troops descend on the Island of Dr. Mon Santos, many men die in the fighting until they are repelled by altered beasts of war, even the battle droids get smashed leaving two of the best to fight their way to Mon Santos to put an end to the madness.
During the storm, Diana and her squad of militant animal rights activist save a plant creature from automated defenses set up to defend Mon Santos’ secret lair, where he is confident the US government who now lay claim to the island through a presidential news conference will save him.
#
Finally, here at the Tree of Eternity, with camera in hand she asks, “So you can talk?”, Diana eagerly awaits the words of the worlds first fully sentient plant and looks at the tree of Eternity surrounded by the plant creatures that allowed the militant activist this far.
Ben, the benevolent Tree of Eternity tells her what life is like being a tree in a world full of humans who waste their lives polluting the earth and always grasping for more resources and how having human consciousness as a tree is so boring he is bored to death.
“Why did you bring me here?”, she asks hoping for divine wisdom from the Tree of Eternity, Ben speaks back for the last time, “you are the lamb who opened the seal of the end times.”, Diana focuses her camera on the talking tree as Ben continues, “and with a thundering voice I say come and see.”
Ben concentrates all his consciousness to communicate to the cold fusion plants and creates a chain reaction throughout the island from the base of the Tree of Eternity causing a nuclear explosion throughout the island of Dr. Mon Santos and destroying everything on it along with all it’s dark secrets.
We’ve Got Lots Of New Viruses Starting January 21st!” – Dr. Peter Hotez
Memory time machine
American Reacts to How America Got so Stupid
Green Chile Pie
Ingredients
- 12 to 14 Hatch green chiles, roasted, peeled, halved and deveined
- 10 slices bacon, fried and drained
- 1 pound Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/3 pound Swiss cheese, shredded
- 6 eggs, beaten
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Slices of Muenster cheese
Instructions
- Line bottom and sides of 9 inch pie pan with prepared chiles. Crumble bacon over chiles.
- Mix Cheddar and Swiss cheeses; beat in eggs, salt and pepper. Pour mixture into pie pan. Top generously with slices of Muenster jack cheese.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes at 325 degrees F.
Here comes China
Godfree Roberts
Tech
China makes graphite that’s 99.99995% pure, the first time it has the led the world in graphite purity.
Since China’s first responses to U.S. export controls, much has changed. The relative strength of China’s domestic semiconductor industry has..
Tsinghua researchers wrote A Simulacrum of Hospital with Evolvable Medical Agents. Now digital simulations of entire medical treatments are being conducted by 42 AI doctors.
Chinese scientists created the first mechanical qubit, which could lead to mechanical quantum computers capable of running long, complex programs, and to novel quantum sensors.
China has 4.1 million 5G base stations, 80 major economic sectors use 5G technologies, and the 5G network is covering more rural areas.
Economy
China bans export of items related to gallium, germanium, antimony, and superhard materials to the United States and a complete ban on dual-use items to U.S. military users.
National Autumn Grain Purchase Exceeds 100 Million Tons: 100 million tons of autumn rice, corn and soybeans warehoused this year, faster than last year.
Saudi Aramco & Sinopec build a $10 billion petrochemical complex: 16 MT/year oil refinery, a 1.5 MT/year ethylene unit, and a 2 MT/year paraxylene.
The new 5,111 km. China-Russia east natural gas pipeline natural gas pipeline transmits 38 billion cubic meters to 450 million people using 36 indigenous, high-power compressors.
China Rail reaches 99% of cities with 200,000 people, transports 4 billion passengers YTD, on 160,000 km of rail (46,000 km high-speed) stopping with 3,300 passenger stations.
Society
New guidelines curb negative trends like celebrity worship and excessive entertainment while promoting responsible content creation for young people.
Since 2014, 1,100 townships and 45,000 villages have been integrated into rural transport networks and, where conditions allow, now have bus services.
Inequality in rural areas has not intensified with aging, suggesting that increasing transfer income affects income inequality more as aging deepens.
The Supreme Court’s AI-powered judicial platform analyzes its database of 320M records, rulings, cases and opinions, extracts key points and classifies data, makes mediation suggestions.
When Confucius met Darwin: sociobiology in China, from Pan Guangdan to …
Does wearing camouflage help hunters stay hidden from the animals they are hunting or from other hunters in the area?
First off, camo is not there to hide you from other hunters. It is meant to hide you from your game.
Now that we have that out of the way, let me say I’ve been hunting for 40-some years. I believe in camo’s effectiveness in hiding you from some game animals, but it depends on the animal and a little camo goes a long way. How little? Let me show you my deer hunting rig:
I hunt in Kentucky. Kentucky requires at least a vest and hat of hunter orange for firearm-related deer seasons. I started wearing this clownsuit in 2011. Deer still come by the stand I’ve been sitting in since my last bowhunt in 2007. They completely ignore me. Why? Because this is what they see:
I have a camo skirt around the shooting rail of my stand. It’s enough to break up my outline. As long as I don’t make sudden moves, the deer ignore me completely.
Now let’s talk turkey. Turkey is a whole other thing. Eastern Wild Turkey has sharper eyesight than humans and they can nearly see all the way around without turning their head. What’s more, the way you hunt turkey, by calling them, makes them come looking for you.
Here is my son in his full turkey kit:
Is it necessary? No, I have called in turkeys wearing jeans and my brown barn coat, however, it cuts down on the scrutiny you receive from the birds. The big thing with both deer and turkey is staying still. I have had deer nearly step on me on the ground. I’ve had hens come up and peck at my shoelaces. The trick is not moving.
One last example I can give you is squirrel. Squirrel see you from above for the most part. So a big floppy hat will suffice. Don’t wear bright colors and try not to call attention to yourself.
What sort of camo works? The cheaper the better. Don’t fall for all the fancy stuff. Nearly any camo works so long as you don’t stand out. When you can pick mottled splotchy stuff like Flecktarn. It tends to work in a wider array of situations. WWII Olive Drab and Khaki still work even though they’re solids.
Do you guys hate black people?
Gen X here. We were raised at a time when racism was at an all time low. “Be Color Blind” was the message on the radio. We didn’t judge people by their skin color, but by their character. Martin Luther King was well respected amongst both white and black people. I had friends and neighbors who were black.
Then came Obama, and he stoked racial tensions, in order to weaponize the black community against the nation. It worked. Now racism is at an all time high, but it’s racism from black people towards white people. Your question is a prime indicator of this. Most white people don’t hate anyone because of their color, but I’ll be real honest with you. A lot of white people are feeling Black Fatigue. We’re tired of having anti-white racism shoved down our throats. We’re tired of being attacked all the time. We’re tired as being labelled as white supremacists. We’re tired of being asked to pay reparations to people who were never slaves. We’re so sick and tired of hearing the race baiters cry about race, and we’ve had enough.
And that’s not a good thing. When white people have had enough, they decimate continents. They genocide entire races and population groups. They drop nuclear F-ing bombs. They. Go. To. War.
And they win.
So, with all the remaining peace and goodness in my heart, I beg you, please stop being a race baiter. Please stop throwing racial allegations against every random white person you meet. Please be color blind. Please stop trying to troll the whites. It’s something you may live to regret.
Instead, reach deep down inside, try to find a shred of dignity, and some humanity, and try to make peace with those darned white people.
In the past, China had close relations with the US to oppose the Soviet Union, but when Vietnam today is close to the US, why do the Chinese appear unhappy with the Vietnamese and constantly dig up the past conflicts between the US and Vietnam?
- China is a socialist country ruled by the Communist Party, and the United States is a capitalist country. China has never been politically close to the United States, and has only ever cooperated with the United States in trade and commerce.
- Vietnam does not have close ties with the United States politically. The Vietnamese government is now very wary of color revolutions and government subversion from the United States.
- Vietnamese, like Indians, have “short-sighted cleverness” but lack “great wisdom”. They always want to gain benefits from China. They only want to invest 1,000 Vietnamese dong, but want to get 1,000 RMB benefits from China (1000 RMB = 3490899.03 VND). For example, 25 years ago, the Vietnamese government had already begun planning a high-speed rail project. In order to lower costs, it introduced Japan, a so-called “competitor / Shit stirrer”. The Japanese would rather fail to do it themselves and lowered the price to the point where China would suffer losses, and only then did China give up. Of course, no one can build a high-speed rail at such a low cost. 25 years have passed, and Vietnam’s high-speed rail is still on the drawing board. The reason is simple: The Vietnamese were counting on China to give them free aid, but their “short-sighted cleverness” has delayed their country’s economic development. they tell themselves that Vietnam is doing what they believe is in its best interest, even at the expense of China’s. They do not seek “win-win” like the Chinese and do not think from others’ perspective. In fact, any price can be calculated through actuarial calculations. If you try too hard to take advantage of sb, you will end up losing more than you gain. On the contrary, China told Indonesia that it did not make huge profits from it, and the Indonesian government also chose to believe China, so Indonesia’s high-speed rail has been opened for many years. In addition, the China-Thailand high-speed rail project is also accelerating.
- 60 years ago, China provided free aid to Vietnam. It is well known that Chinese accuses the Vietnamese of being ungrateful, while the Vietnamese believe that they are doing what they believe is in their own interests. Therefore, with the lessons of history, it is more in China’s interest to do business with Vietnam than to provide aid to avoid future complaints against each other. There is no free lunch in the world. You are blessed if others help you, but they are not obliged to.
How can BRICS countries bypass Swift transactions and save exchange rates using different denominations of currency?
Swift is a messaging system
Let’s say my son in Malta wants to send me € 1,000
He goes to his bank and initiates a SWIFT transfer for € 1,000 to my bank account in HDFC
A Message is generated by his bank, it’s authenticated and his account is debited for € 1,000 (Plus € 23.40)
The Message has a BIC for HDFC Bank and this message is transmitted through an Intermediary Bank in Dubai or Singapore to HDFC Bank in Chennai
HDFC Bank receives this message and decodes it and it says
“Hi. XYZ has paid me € 1,000. Kindly credit this sum to the beneficiary I have mentioned in the MT form”
HDFC will thus find out the exchange rate for Euro and credit my account with ₹89,600/-
Later on HDFC will get a Digital Confirmation from RBI that the € 1,000 was credited to a RBI Intermediary Account in Malta (SBI Malta) & HDFC will get back the ₹89,937/- which includes the ₹337/- for any interest loss HDFC may have
Where is the Currency Denomination mentioned here?
My son pays in Euro because that’s the currency in his place and i get rupees because that’s the currency in my place
The Messaging is where SWIFT comes in
HDFC immediately pays me because the Maltese Bank is also part of SWIFT and settlement is assured
Say a Strange Bank called IVANOV BANK in Moscow calls HDFC and says “I just received 127,000 Rubles from XYZ. Please credit his beneficiary”
HDFC will ask “WHO THE HELL ARE YOU? HOW DO I KNOW YOU???”
So how to Bypass a Swift Transfer
Say I have to get ₹ 50 Lakh from a Russian Importer for my Jeans & T Shirts
HDFC won’t pay me the money because IT DOESN’T RECOGNIZE THE RUSSIAN BANK
So he uses an Intermediary in SHANGHAI
He pays the Intermediary 5.38 Million Rubles plus 0.6% commission using CIPS to XILIN LIU DANG FINANCIAL SERVICES
The Chinese Intermediary gets 426,000 RMB credit and he immediately pays me ₹50 Lakh by SWIFT
Thanks to China – Russia still trades and is able to make a lot of money
It’s why everyone from Yellen to Blinken to Baerbock keep giving China “Warnings” that China ignores
China has dedicated 3,000 Banks especially for handling Russia Trade which aren’t connected with SWIFT
These Banks have a Commercial Interoperability Account where they can get funds into other banks connected to Swift and get those funds transferred to Banks connected to CIPS and make the transfers to Russia and now Iran
Putin may be fighting in Ukraine but Uncle Xi is the big bull who is keeping Russia going without a single blip
All Exporters in India use Chinese Intermediaries or Emirati Intermediaries to trade with Russia
Settlement takes us 96-120 hours instead of 24 that SWIFT takes
For instance if a Russian transferred money through SWIFT at Monday 11 AM in Moscow, i get the money either by 6 PM the same day or by 2 PM Tuesday in India
In the Intermediary method – I would get the money by around 6 PM Thursday or 2 PM Friday
That’s because Chinese Banks are heavily booked with orders and Intermediaries don’t have so many Billions of RMB to advance
If India had 100 Banks join CIPS that would make things much easier
So it’s never the currency
It’s about the CLUB
SWIFT is a Club and membership of the club gives you privileges
You need an alternative Club which is what BRICS is trying to achieve
Food Porn
My Recent Trip to China: Jaw-Dropping Development that Will Blow Your Mind!
Emma & the Time Travel Wristwatch
Submitted into Contest #150 in response to: Write about a character who has access to a powerful new technology before anyone else.… view prompt
♧Evella The Caramella♧ .
What does it mean to be human?
Can she really make a difference in the world?
Or is it already too late?
***
Emma was standing in the middle of a crowded street.
People were walking by, going wherever they needed to go.
Cars were driving down the road, honking their horns. People were shouting.
Dogs barked. Birds chirped.
Traffic lights changed colors.
A train passed through.
All of this happening at once.
It seemed normal enough.
Except Emma could hear nothing.
Not a single sound.
The effect of the clock began to take effect, she was not able to sense time and its passage, everything became fixed and fast, even feelings, became related to time.
At this point, she understood that she had lost control of her mind, she didn’t understand why, or where it came from, but the watch was controlling her.
Her head was spinning. She felt dizzy, confused, and disoriented.
A man ran past her, screaming.
Emma tried to follow his voice, to figure out what he wanted. But she couldn’t hear him.
He screamed again, then stopped. He turned around.
There was blood running down the side of Emma’s face. His eyes looked worried, like he’d seen something terrible.
Emma tried to speak. Her mouth opened. No words came out.
Emma reached up to touch her face, but her hand went right through her skin.
She heard a loud bang, and a sharp pain shot through her chest.
Then, she saw a flash of light.
The next thing she knew, Emma was lying in her bed in her house, looking at the ceiling.
She wondered if she should call someone.
Should she tell them what happened?
She thought back to the night she got the watch.
Why did she choose to pick up the time wristwatch?!
Was it because she liked the way it looked, or was it because she was drawn to its abilities?
Was it because she wanted to impress people, or was it because she wanted to be noticed?
What was the real reason?
Emma realized that she wasn’t sure.
All she knew was that the watch made her feel powerful, and she didn’t want to give it up.
That was why she kept wearing it. That was why she ignored the warnings.
Emma lay in bed wondering if she should try to get rid of the watch. If she could just throw it away, maybe she would wake up feeling better.
She decided she would quit using the watch.
She started to get out of bed.
Something caught her eye.
A small box was sitting on her dresser.
She picked it up and opened it. Inside was a note.
It said, “You are no longer the person you used to be.”
She read the note over and over again.
It was signed, “Your friend, John.”
Emma felt confused.
At this moment, she knew that she might destroy the future with her reckless actions.
She looked around her room.
Everything was the same.
Nothing had changed.
She decided to go back to the time she picked up the time wristwatch and stop herself from doing it.
She closed her eyes and waited for the next thing to happen.
She waited for her body to react.
Emma opened her eyes and looked at the clock on her wall. It was 5:00 AM.
She came back “30 minutes” before she found the time wristwatch. She went to that place, and found the watch and smashed it so that no one would find it, and it would bring a disaster.
On her way back, she met the man who helped her when she was injured .
He smiled at her and said, :”Have we met before?”
She smiled and said, :”Shall I invite you for a cup of coffee so that we can remember together?”
They both laughed ,
“by the way my name is John” he Said
And from inside the café, they both sounded happily ever after while it’s snowing.
The END
South of the Border Ravioli
Yield: 3 servings
Ingredients
- 9 ounces fresh cheese-stuffed ravioli
- 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided use
- 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 large jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 2 cups peeled and chopped fresh tomatoes (about 3 large tomatoes)
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 cup diced zucchini
- 1 ear fresh corn
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1/4 cup hot heavy cream
Instructions
- Cook ravioli according to package directions. Drain and rinse with very hot water to which 1 teaspoon of the olive oil has been added. Drain again, cover and set aside.
- Heat remaining teaspoon of olive oil in large, nonstick skillet. Add onion and jalapeño pepper and sauté until onion is soft but not brown. Stir in chopped tomatoes and garlic; simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, chop zucchini and remove corn from the cob. Stir these vegetables into tomatoes. Add chili powder, oregano, cumin, black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes, if desired. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until zucchini is crisp tender.
- Heat cream for 20 to 30 seconds in microwave and stir into tomato mixture. Check pasta to ensure the ravioli aren’t stuck together. If they are, rinse again in very hot water.
- Immediately serve ravioli topped with sauce.
What’s the scariest thing archaeologists have ever discovered?
In Ancient China, after the emperor died, he needed a group of people to follow him to the other world and continue to serve him, so there would be some people buried alive with him.
Most of his entourage were concubines.
When the tomb was excavated, the discovery shocked the entire Chinese archaeological community. A total of 186 people were buried with the emperor!
Many people believe that the 186 martyrs in the Qin Tomb were buried alive for Duke Mu of Qin.
In fact, according to archaeologists, 160 of them died voluntarily. The rest were probably prisoners of war or concubines.
2. Chinese archaeologists discovered an ancient tomb. There were about 80 bodies of grave robbers (those who dig up tombs to steal artifacts or personal belongings) inside.
This is called a quicksand tomb , which ancient people used to deter grave robbers.
This mechanism takes advantage of the instability of sand.
Craftsmen poured a certain amount of quicksand over the burial chamber. Once grave robbers entered the tomb through the hole, the quicksand mixed with sharp stones would quickly clog the hole, and then kill the grave robbers or trap them inside.
Archaeologists sent excavators to clear the sand, and the next discovery shocked everyone. At the bottom of the tomb chamber, there were 80 bodies inside.
According to expert research, the 80 people who died in the tomb were grave robbers. They were trapped in the tomb that was always filled with quicksand. The tragedy in the tomb cannot be forgotten.
Although the mechanism of the quicksand tomb seems cruel (eh), stealing the contents of the tomb itself is also wrong. This kind of tomb can protect the tomb owner from outside interference, and at the same time, they can also preserve the cultural relics contained in the tomb, which makes people admire how wise the people of that time were.
Ukraine has no rare earths to plunder, nor does it have the manpower or infrastructure to safely scurre and move them if they really did exist
These past three years have obliterated Ukraine’s Infrastructure and depleted the morale of its people. Over a million (supposedly) Ukrainian Soldiers are dead, all of them being able-bodied men and similar demographics. After seeing so much slaughter in the frontlines and also in the cities, half of Ukraine’s population moved out so that they would not get dragged into conscription.
Most of the arable and sustainable farmland belongs to the oblasts that Russia has claimed, and the mother Bear will not relinquish her cubs to the nazis of Ukraine who have, for over a decade, committed ethnic cleansing against the helpless denizens of these oblasts.
Zelenky cannot seem to comprehend that he is in no position to make any deals or request any aid. His humiliating debacle with Trump in the White House made it clear that the massive money and arms spigot has turned off. There is nothing left worth fighting for in Ukraine; enough people have died and Trump was not being hyperbolic when he said that the Penis-Pianist was Gambling with WWIII. That’s why he and his cabinet is negotiating with Moscow without any input from the illegitimatized clown and his Nazi cronies. The writing is on the wall. It’s time for Zelensky to surrender and for the war to end.
But it appears that the hegemons in the West are still desperate to keep this war going, to continue rolling the meat grinder; because they do not want to have to face the music alongside Zelensky when the treaty is signed and tribunals begin. There’s plenty of evidence of NATO troops and agents being involved in the war and partaking in sabotage (Nordstream 2: terrorist attacks and assassinations deep in Russia). They will not worm their way out of this one. I am all for Trump leaving NATO and the UN, even if it will enrage the Swamp-Creatures in those/behind those groups that do not want to cut their losses and accept that they are no longer a superpower (or any power at this point).
REPORTS: U.S. Pulling Out 20,000 Troops from NATO SUpport
Hal Turner World March 02, 2025
Reports are coming in Sunday afternoon saying “US Army is withdrawing its contingent serving in support of NATO forces from Europe.
In total, about 20 thousand people will be withdrawn!”
Endeavoring to verify . . .
Europe SMASHES Trump Peace Effort for Ukraine; Adopts untenable position
Hal Turner World March 02, 2025
EUROPE HAS DELIBERATELY GONE COMPLETELY AGAINST AMERICA ON THE UKRAINE ISSUE – FULL WAR to CONTINUE!
European nations and Canada decided today, in London, to smash Trump’s peace plan, back Zelensky and make any peace deal IMPOSSIBLE!
They announced:
1) More military aid to Ukraine, and more sanctions on Russia
2) They declared that “Sovereignty” means Ukraine must get its all territories back, AND;
3) Ukraine must be part of all negotiations, AND;
4) After a peace deal Ukraine will be armed, AND;
5) The UK with other nations will form a military collation to go boots on the ground after the deal in Ukraine!!
The practical result of this catastrophic and deliberately unachievable position, is that Russia will not be able to accept any deal. Europe knows this. Clearly Europe WANTS the war to continue.
The USA will have to walk away and let Ukraine fight until the bitter end. Literally to the last Ukrainian.
Ukraine __will__ lose to Russia. No other outcome is possible; even with Europe’s full support. At that point, there will likely no longer BE a “Ukraine.”
The so-called “leaders” of Europe have just demonstrated that, when it comes to the Russia-Ukraine situation, they SEEM to be insane! But let’s have a much closer look . . .
BRITISH ALREADY SIGNED DEAL FOR MINERALS!
In this Ukraine-Trump/Vance White House argument, there is a battle of two narratives – one, false, that Donald J. Trump set up Zelenskyy for the confrontation and we should be outraged.
The other, true, that Zelensky, the UK and EU were playing the US.
It turns out that the British had already signed a deal that provided Ukraine “security guarantees” and right of access to Ukraine’s gas, oil, rare earth minerals, oversight of Ukraine’s ports, and opportunity to invest in the rebuilding of Ukraine, (signed between the two nations three days before President Trump’s inauguration, on the 17th of January 2025)
They were looking to sucker the United States into providing security for THEIR exploitation of Ukraine… Except U.S. Intelligence got wind of the deal and warned President Trump.
Zelensky was coming to the White house to sucker the U.S. into protecting what was ALREADY a British deal.