When you enter your 20’s all is good. You left kid-hood. Are starting to date. (Some earlier than others. Girls the earliest, boys often lagging behind by years and even decades.)
Life moves forward. Parties. Early work and career. Often lots of studying. Some go to early family-hood, others into early careers. It is an exciting time. Both for girls and boys.
Your probable first experience with death by then is either a grandparent, a (unknown uncle or auntie) or a beloved pet. Often when you are in your late childhood and early teens. I lost my first grandparents and extended uncles and aunties in my teens, but I really wasn’t paying too much attention to the losses. My mind was elsewhere.
By your end 20’s you should have a friend that has died. I had numerous class mates have very serious accidents by the time I was 18 through 20, and during my 20’s a number of them died. I had a few uncles and aunties die. A handful of friends, some close and others not so close and some of my long-time pets passed on.
By your late thirties, you should have most grandparents died. Unless your parents were really young when they had you, if so then advance all the numbers by one decade.
By your late 40’s most of your aunties and uncles should be dead. You will have a much depleted extended family. No grandparents, and you should have a stand-alone family unit that you head or co-manage.
And this is often the time (given the society in the West) that most have experienced a divorce and all the terrible horrors that it generates.
So by the end of your 40’s, you should have a much eroded extended family, and a tattered immediate family. Many will be alone and on their own with tenuous communication lines to exe’s, extended family and brothers and sisters. Many will be alone, and dealing with the complexities of life.
By your late 50’s, it starts a time of rebuilding and re-creation. I moved to China. Many of my friends also relocated. Often changing careers, work, location and relationships.
By your late 60’s, you all should be well established in your new life. Often thriving but in a totally different way that before, and those of you that connect with the old relations find them ever-distant. As all parties moved into very different directions.
In your late 70’s? My grandparents, and parents died in their 70’s. I guess that it is a time of life sunset. But here I am… in China, we are looking at the 89’s and 90’s for life sunset. I’m still kicking around. Though my hair is white as snow and I dye it. Getting to need to do it more often than before. Wrinkles are starting to be problematic. And “liver spots” and freckles are starting to invade my body.
Ah, I can’t drink and party like I used to, and Lordy! I really don’t want to. Either. I tell you what.
This is the human life.
Live it.
Today…
China’s economy relies heavily on exports, while the US relies largely on consumption fueled by massive debt. Neither model is sustainable. So can they move beyond a zero-sum mindset and collaborate to address their deep-rooted structural issues?
Let’s see
In the US – Consumption makes up 69% of the Economy
That is not the problem at all
The Problem is 40.8% of all Consumption is CREDIT DRIVEN
This means $ 1.6 in every $ 4 of Consumption is BORROWED
Every US Consumer who spends $ 10,000 a year, actually borrows $ 4,000 which is listed as consumption
Now Mortgages (Homes) form a large chunk of this Credit which is absolutely fine
However Personal Credit, Auto Credit, Education Loans, Healthcare Debt form a massive amount of this credit which is NOT FINE
Healthcare and Personal Credit form more than One Fourth of the Debt owed by an Average Consumer , which in turn makes up for a lot of consumption and hence LOOKS LIKE ECONOMIC GROWTH
This is one problem
The Other is STATE LED EXPENDITURE
In US, of the State Led Expenditure a whopping 27% is Military Industry and Defense Products
Basically the State buying a bunch of defense stuff from their own industries and spending taxpayer money on them
Too much money
Almost on a 1988 USSR Level (41.9%) compared to China (6.68%), India (5.39%), Russia (7.42%) or even Pakistan (11.16%)
That is the other problem
Now China,
In China – Consumption forms 42.30% of the Economy
Of this only 13.77% of the Economy is CREDIT DRIVEN
Mortgage forms almost 85% of this Consumer Debt and thus is secured in BRICKS AND MORTAR AND LAND AND PROPERTY
This is absolutely fine , in fact this is extremely good because Education and Healthcare cause virtually no debt at all
Likewise Exports form 14.9% of Chinas Economy which is a large chunk but much less compared to Vietnam (80%) or Mexico and Canada (36%)
This is NOT A PROBLEM because Exports are evolving in China rapidly
This would have been a problem if CHINESE EXPORTS were of the same value for all these years like CRUDE OIL, NATURAL GAS OR COAL
Chinese Exports have changed from 88.9% Low Value in 2007 to 31.67% Low Value by 2024 & 0.28% High Value in 2007 to 8.45% High Value by 2024
The Problem with China is – Savings!!!
The Problem with China is reluctance to Invest in anything but Gold or State Funds
The More you save , the Less your disposable income is
The Less you invest in Private Industry, the Less invested you are in Technology or Finance or Services
As a result the State invests in most of the Technology driven ventures like Chips, AI, Robots and EV Batteries
Public Investors invest only 10.9% in these ventures while the State invests 82.1%
Unnaturally stacked heavily and causing very low inflation
This is Chinas Problem
So those are the key problems
For the US
- High deal of Consumer borrowing for Consumption with Personal Credit, Education and Health being unusually high for US
- A Huge deal of Defense related expenditure (27% of State Led Expenditure) that results in poor infrastructure & very poor social services & income disparities
The US is doing NOTHING to deal with it except kicking the ball further down the road
For China
- High, Unusually High Savings Rate of 41% which drives down disposable spending
- Most Investments by State and only 11% by Individuals which means the means to increase wealth is much lesser. You can always be comfortable but becoming rich is much much harder now
However China wants to Change
It has now kept Consumption as a major part of their policy and plan to increase Individual Investments in Private Industry by at least 25% by 2040
So eventually China knows it’s problems and is dealing with it
The US is simply hiding it’s head like an ostrich
That’s the MAJOR DIFFERENCE
What a Night
Written in response to: “Your character is getting changed in the bathroom of a nightclub or restaurant, then emerges looking completely different. Why?“
Jan Keifer
Have you ever met somebody so stupid that they made you question how they survived this long?
My coworkers on my last job.
They didn’t know that the police and military are paid out of taxes. When I asked them what they thought taxes were for? “Oh they just divvy that up and keep it. It goes straight in their pockets.” They were all over 50.
The didn’t understand the company 401k. When you get hired they automatically enrolled you at 5% of your pay in a bond fund you can opt out of at any time.
For thirty years they never increased their contributions. Never changed to an equity fund.
After 30 years we were all close to $1,000,000. They were at $100,000. Couldn’t explain it to them no.mstter how we tried.
Same thing with credit card debt. They were getting killed.
Believed every conspiracy theory out there. Loved that shit. Chemtrails for example. They thought the John Wick movies were real.
Forget about inflation. They literally thought the president has a button or app that increases or decreased inflation. That it was that easy and on purpose.
Don’t start me on who pays the tariffs.
One told me I was wrong about the moon and the sun. The sun is actually closer than the moon because we can feel the sun.
The US is more than half the world’s population. It’s actually 4.92%.
Job creation of 2000 a month is good.”That’s a lot of people “ Actually around 200,000 is parity.
A map completely confuses them.
My youngest brother isn’t very bright. He told me the other day that oil comes from dinosaurs. He’s 47.
My ex once said, “They shouldn’t feed bagels to the dogs at the pound. It’s not good for them.” When I looked at the article it said they had lots of beagles at the pound.
My 20 year old neighbor said,” If I had a million dollars I’d be set for life “ I asked him if he would invest it. He said no. Just spend it. When I told him that’s only $20,000 a year for fifty years he got mad. He’s the same one that cut half my lawn. When the mower ran out of gas he thought it was broken.
My new neighbors asked me if the deer in their yard would bite them. They thought the rabbits were the same as squirrels. That they lived in the trees too. Granted they grew up in the city but come on.
The bill at the store was $15.05. They had a fee on debit . I give the cashier a $20 and a nickel because I didn’t want four singles and ninety five cents change in my pocket. No matter how many times I explained it to him he couldn’t understand my change was a five dollar bill. I finally left with four singles, three quarters,two dimes and a nickel.
This country is starting to scare me.
Mind-Blowing Evidence: Pre-Flood Global Civilization?
Who won the US – China trade deal, 90 day ‘pause’ and who blinked and who has the leverage when it is over the Chinese ‘long game’ or Trump’s “Art of the Deal”?
Well, Donald loudly announced and quickly escalated tariffs on china from early April, only to undo ALL of them 40 days later, give or take.
Scott had to painstakingly arrange a meeting in a neutral venue with the Chinese, dangling enough benefit for them to bite.
Essentially, the Americans were negotiating among themselves, Donald v. Scott. Donald was just practicing the “art of the deal” going all-in with threats and bluffs, while Scott knew the clock was ticking and Halloween shopping was already ruined.
But having already raised tariffs unilaterally to defacto embargo levels, Scott couldn’t lower them without getting the Chinese to agree to an undo together. The political blowback would have been untenable.
Hence the extraordinary joint statement delivered by Scott in a Geneva press conference this past Monday, 9 AM local time.
Joint Statement on U.S.-China Economic and Trade Meeting in Geneva
The White House
The Government of the United States of America (the “United States”) and the Government of the People’s Republic of China (“China”),
Recognizing the importance of their bilateral economic and trade relationship to both countries and the global economy;
Recognizing the importance of a sustainable, long-term, and mutually beneficial economic and trade relationship;
Reflecting on their recent discussions and believing that continued discussions have the potential to address the concerns of each side in their economic and trade relationship; and
Moving forward in the spirit of mutual opening, continued communication, cooperation, and mutual respect;
The Parties commit to take the following actions by May 14, 2025:
The United States will (i) modify the application of the additional ad valorem rate of duty on articles of China (including articles of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macau Special Administrative Region) set forth in Executive Order 14257 of April 2, 2025, by suspending 24 percentage points of that rate for an initial period of 90 days, while retaining the remaining ad valorem rate of 10 percent on those articles pursuant to the terms of said Order; and (ii) removing the modified additional ad valorem rates of duty on those articles imposed by Executive Order 14259 of April 8, 2025 and Executive Order 14266 of April 9, 2025.
China will (i) modify accordingly the application of the additional ad valorem rate of duty on articles of the United States set forth in Announcement of the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council No. 4 of 2025, by suspending 24 percentage points of that rate for an initial period of 90 days, while retaining the remaining additional ad valorem rate of 10 percent on those articles, and removing the modified additional ad valorem rates of duty on those articles imposed by Announcement of the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council No. 5 of 2025 and Announcement of the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council No. 6 of 2025; and (ii) adopt all necessary administrative measures to suspend or remove the non-tariff countermeasures taken against the United States since April 2, 2025.
After taking the aforementioned actions, the Parties will establish a mechanism to continue discussions about economic and trade relations. The representative from the Chinese side for these discussions will be He Lifeng, Vice Premier of the State Council, and the representatives from the U.S. side will be Scott Bessent, Secretary of the Treasury, and Jamieson Greer, United States Trade Representative. These discussions may be conducted alternately in China and the United States, or a third country upon agreement of the Parties. As required, the two sides may conduct working-level consultations on relevant economic and trade issues.
This development was so crucial that both sides worked through the night over the weekend to refine the statement in two languages and obtain the go-ahead from both Beijing and Washington.
The Chinese delegation was almost beaming in their own press conference before Scott’s, but they didn’t spoil his carefully prepared party.
Taking stock, America is back to early April, and Washington knows it can’t pull the same bluff again. There are limits to american hegemony, even when deliberately abused.
There is a 90-day respite but tariffs on China are unlikely to rise come august. Current aggregate tariffs on Chinese imports hover around a cumulative 50%, which is already prohibitive and disruptive, especially for SMEs.
America desperately needs Chinese concessions on rare earths, and other specialty metals. Apple and others are dependent on Chinese supply chains. But most importantly, American MNCs do big business in China. There is >1t in revenue at stake.
Picking a fight against an opponent with a deflating asset bubble, low inflation and this century’s lowest domestic rates when one is saddled with the exact opposite set of problems is foolhardy, and possibly deadly.
Beijing can pump prime all it wants because it has unspent monetary and fiscal space to do so. Beijing did not copy the profligate covid spending of the west, despite one of the world’s longest and most stringent zero covid policies worldwide, requiring repeated enforced lockdowns.
Scott, on the other hand, is warning about the impending federal debt ceiling, amidst surging bond yields.
Who won?
No clear winners here but for now, it is advantage China, which holds more cards than many will care to admit while America has been found to deal cards it doesn’t have.
Dating Shows in China: She Demands $30K on the First Date, Savage Middle-Aged Dating in China
What’s the fastest you’ve wiped a smirk off of someone’s face?
A Mr. Smart Guy (boss’s pet) at one of my old jobs thought he was so good at pushing his work off on everybody else and getting away with it.
Over the course of a few days, he kept piling a bunch of tasks up that he planned to hit me with. I knew what he was doing, but he didn’t know I was aware.
I had some use-or-lose vacation days coming up and, unbeknownst to him, I scheduled them for the following week.
This coincided with the time he was planning to dump his work on me because there was a deadline. The next Monday was the day before my mini vacation started and as I was about to leave for the day he, in front of a bunch of his friends, starts going over the list of things (his work) that I needed to start on Tuesday and have done before that Thursday’s deadline.
He tells me with a big smirk on his face like he was really about to get away with something. I repeated each task back to him, pretending to be in agony. He nodded after I repeated each task and continued to smirk.
Then I told him it was a shame that I was already scheduled to be on vacation during that time and that he would have to do it himself if he couldn’t find somebody else to unload his work on.
Smirk instantly erased and his friends started laughing at him.
Pictures
How was Pakistan able to shoot down the advanced Rafale fighter jets?
I still think that the credit should mostly goes to the incompetence of Indian military.
Indian Airforce AEW had its transponder on during the conflict with Pakistan:
Logical explaination should be that…
with transponder on, it might be shot down by Pakistan Airforce; with transponder off, it could be shot down by India Airforce.
India Airforce is just a total chaos, and it just cannot provide sufficient support to Rafale.
Still, Rafale would be shot down by Pakistan’s ZDK-03+J10CE+PL15E anyways even if it was in French Airforce, but at least they’d know it got shot down.
Unlike this time in India, no one knew what happened untill gozilla 4 saw gozilla 3 exploded in the air.
Pakistan has a full set of Chinese equipment, ZDK-03+J10CE+PL15E.
J10CE might be only a missile platform. There could be no difference if it was JF17.
It was the ZDK-03 AEW which locked India’s Rafale the whole time, maybe expect the last 10 second.
What ZDK-03 has is not fire control radar, so Rafale wouldn’t know it got locked, and PL15E could be guided to Rafale quietly.
Once Rafale entered the no-escape zone, PL15E activated its seeker and locked on Rafale.
With the terminal speed of mach 4, there was only 10 seconds for Rafale to leave the last words.
The highlight moment of Rafale was when it shot down a F22 in a battle simulation.
However, dogfight is already a leftover from 3rd gen era, the the world had already entered a new era of Beyond Visual Range combat.
With AEW and dual-pulse rocket, the jet fighter no longer need to do dogfight anymore.
Just shoot and leave, and let AEW and missiles to finish the job.
It’s why China’s 6 gen fighters don’t have vertical stablizers, because they are only missile platforms.
All they need to do are getting closer to the enemy quietly and leave the combat zone ASAP.
Mobility becomes the least important.
Pakistan’s J-10CE receives instant battlefront information from ZDK-03, while India’s Rafale may need to call their AEW on radio for an update.
This air combat was one-way transparent from Pakistan side.
Unfortunately, Indians in the comment section behaved exactly as I predicted.
TikTok Ban BACKFIRES: Millions Flee To New App Showing The REAL China
By declaring a 10-day holiday for its “victory” over Pakistan, Modi is leading India into ever greater heights of detachment from reality.
You know that the situation is bad when Trump tells Tim Cook of Apple to avoid manufacturing iPhones in India because he thinks India is a bad bet, and has given up on the idea of India as a manufacturing alternative to China.
My guess is that sometime in April this year, the capital markets told Trump that it would take far longer than he originally thought for India’s manufacturing to catch up with China’s, and he needed to take that into consideration in formulating policy.
Do you think it might get so bad that American billionaires will have no choice except to build factories in the US and hiring smart Americans to run those factories, instead of whipping up Americans into a frenzy over how great American AI is going to be after they invest in it on Wall Street? Wouldn’t that be something???!!!
This could all have been avoided if India and Indians just kept quiet and worked hard, without trying to prove to themselves that they were a global power which deserved a seat at the Big Table. The point which they missed is that a seat at the Big Table is not given; it is earned. In China’s case, it was won by 40+ years of hard work by the whole population.
In the case of the US, it got a seat at the Big Table by winning WWII, and getting to set the terms for the world after victory.
What does India have? Any technologies? Any deep thought and insights? Any impressive infrastructure?
No, instead, it only has a media and opinion leaders who spend all their time TALKING TALKING TALKING.
The path to success is built on hard work by many people, most of whom never get the recognition they deserve.
So stop talking and get to work.
Turkey Sausage and Pepper Calzones
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
- 2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
- 1 (10 ounce) can refrigerated pizza dough
- 1/2 pound Italian seasoned turkey sausage
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook onion and pepper in oil until soft, add garlic, then sausage until cooked through.
- Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Unroll pizza crust onto cutting board, cut into four 6 x 5 inch rectangles.
- Place on baking sheet, evenly distribute cheeses and turkey mixture onto dough rectangles.
- Bring opposite corners together and pinch together.
- Repeat with remaining sides, and pinch all corners together to form bundles.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.
- Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Attribution
Posted by bailonxys at Recipe Goldmine April 29, 2001.
What was the funniest, most unusual, or curious commercial you’ve ever seen?
This was definitely the most original commercial I’ve ever seen!
This woman climbed the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, to film an advert for Emirates Airlines. Although many doubt its authenticity, it is completely real. This woman is Nicole Smith-Ludvik, who is not only an Emirates flight attendant, but also a professional skydiver. And apparently, she has no sense of vertigo.
With her impeccable smile, uniform, hat and high heels, Nicole stands on a 1.2-square-meter platform on the antenna of the world’s tallest building, while an A380 commercial plane flies behind her. In total, the plane had to make 11 turns around the flight attendant, who was still smiling, to get the ideal shot.
What Happens When We Die?—What I Saw Changed Everything | Stephen Weber’s Near-Death Journey
Before the tariff war, it was claimed that tariffs would increase revenue. But after a month, the Port of Los Angeles reports a 35% drop in import cargo. Are tariffs actually reducing revenue and increasing living costs?
“It was claimed” by one very specific person: Donald Trump.
Anyone with an ounce of actual knowledge has been saying all along that tariffs do not bring money *into* the country.
They make things, both imported and domestic, more expensive. And some of that added expense is revenue for the US Treasury, but not all of it. Some of it is just mark-up, and added costs of dealing with customs brokers, etc. And all the inefficiency they entail, with companies hesitating whether and when to order products, and so on.
It is almost universally agreed among economists that tariffs are a drag on the economy.
But Trump heard a story that back in the 1890s, we had tariffs instead of income tax. He loves that idea!
But it ain’t happening. Now we get income taxes plus tariffs. Plus higher sales taxes on higher priced goods.
U F? No.
Written in response to: “Write an open-ended story in which your character’s fate is uncertain.“
Kathrine Steppke
She looked at him, “Ummm…actually it really was the third one.” He looks at her clenching his jaw and eyes rolling to the back of his head. He takes a deep breath and with praying hands says, “I know you have nowhere to go. I am going to get you an Uber that will take you to a Motel and I will give you enough money for one night. But that’s it. I never want to see your face again.” She bursts into tears with her head in her hands.
He goes back into his room. She stays slumped in the bean bag chair with the hot cocoa next to her. She waits an hour and 12 minutes. He comes out of the room. He says, “The Uber is here. Here is the money. Please leave.” She looks into his eyes giving him a pleading look. His face is red pleading back, “Leave!” She gets on her clothes faster than a professional stage actor, runs downstairs and dives into the Uber, where the driver already has the door open.
Upstairs, the man picks up the hot cocoa. The bunnies have somehow retained their shape but they are on opposite ends of the cup looking sad. “Must have been old marshmallows” he grumbles to himself. The bunnies float back to eachother with heads resting on one another. He pours the cocoa down the sink leaving the cup inside. He collapses on the floor wailing loudly. Then, pulls out a picture of himself with her from his back pocket. It reads, “Galilee and Gordy together 4ever.” He rips it up and throws the pieces towards the trash though most pieces land near his foot, which he tries kicking up in the air, but is unsuccessful again. The dinosaur slipper comes off, spiralling up in the air in an arch shape. He screams just before the dinosaur slipper hits him on the head.
Galilee sits in the Uber. The Uber driver wears a fuzzy pink coat with a matching hat and heart shaped sunglasses. She smells of sunscreen. The blinding light from the sun surrounds her. It is now very warm, though the snow outside is still piled high. The uber driver is chewing gum loudly while staring at Galilee. The Uber driver offers Galilee a stick of gum flavoured like strawberries. Galilee stares into space for the length of three Mississippis then waves the gum away. The driver shrugs then introduces herself, “The name’s Honey Milky-way Moore. You’s goin’ to the Strawberry Fields Hotel? Am I goin’ anywhere’s else fo you’s? Galilee says, “How about off a cliff?”
Honey turns with her lips quivering and eyes narrowing, “Hey! What’s a matta?” Galilee laments, “You don’t care. You just want to have an excuse to charge me for extra.” Honey notices the time already going in the Uber. She smashes the machine breaking it. Honey says, “Ain’t nothin’ more important than everybody keepin’ everybody safe.” Galilee sighs, “You wouldn’t believe me anyway.” Honey throws her hands up, “Try me. I’ve had some weird crap happen to me. I’ve been visited by spirits, abducted by aliens, and just yesterday I was broken up with by Bigfoot.”
Galilee raises an eyebrow, “As if…wait… did you say abducted by aliens?” Honey answers, “Yeah. They put some kind of weird equipment in me fo’ their experiments. I think they gave me an STD but Bigfoot, also known as Dennis, did not believe me.” Galilee’s eyes widen, “They did some kind of experiment on me and got me pregnant.” Honey shakes her head, “Ooooh…not much yous can do ‘bout that now that abortion is illegal ‘round here.”
Galilee slumps down.
Honey looks at Galilee up and down. Galilee trembles, “I have nowhere to go after the hotel. I’ll be on the streets.” Honey makes a suggestion, “Yous could sleep at my crib. I know it ain’t safe sleepin’ in a strangers place but it’s gotta be safer than nothin’. Galilee starts to tremble a little less, then turns her head out the window and says, “Yes. Thank you so so much.” Galilee felt a warm embrace though there were no arms around her then she heard a small voice inside her head saying, “You’ll be okay.”
Why did people use to hunt whales for their fats? What did they do with it?
They hunted whales for their oil, not just their fat. There is a difference. Whale oil burned cleaner, brighter than any fuel in the 1800’s. It lit the streets of London and New York. And it greased the machines of the Industrial Revolution.
In fact, from 1835 to 1872, whaling killed more than 300,000 whales in the United States.
It was an utterly inhumane process, but effective. First, men would remove the blubber of the whale in long strips, melting these in the try-pots on deck.
It smelled terrible; it was dangerous at all times. But the profit was enormous.
Whale oil had many uses: it burned in lamps, lubricated fine machinery, and served to make soap and margarine.
But its most valuable product was spermaceti-a wax-like substance, candle-making quality, found only in the sperm whale’s head. Spermaceti oil burned bright and clean. It never became rancid. The very best candles were made of spermaceti.
Whaling created nations, powered American ships across the world, powered technological innovation seeking whale oil.
Coming in the 1860s, kerosene replaced whale oil and spared the whales, but also altered the way humans illuminate their world.
The legacy remains though. Modern industrial lubricants trace their development to whale oil. The first petroleum prospectors called their product “rock oil” to distinguish it from whale oil.
Whaling stopped not because of anything to do with conservation and saving the whales, but because people found something cheaper buried beneath the ground.
The last American whaling ship sailed in 1927. It was a dead industry. The knowledge of rendering whale oil did not die.
Some countries are still killing whales, but nowadays for their meat, not oil. Whale oil has seen its age. It has left its marks in the annals of mankind.
Cordon Bleu Stromboli
Favorite Cordon Bleu ingredients all wrapped up make this Stromboli a sure hit.
Prep: 30 min | Bake: 30 min | Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 Loaf Rhodes Bread Dough or 8 Rhodes Texas Rolls, thawed to room temperature
- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 8 ounces thinly sliced deli ham
- 1 cup grated Swiss cheese
- 8 ounces thinly sliced deli chicken
- 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
- Smoked paprika
Instructions
- Spray counter top lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Roll loaf or combined rolls into a 10 x 18 inch rectangle.
- Spread dough with butter and then with mustard.
- Top with ham, cheese and chicken.
- Sprinkle rosemary over chicken.
- Starting with a long side, carefully fold the dough over in thirds making sure the toppings stay in place.
- Pinch the seam closed, fold ends over the top and pinch to seal.
- Turn the Stromboli over and place on a sprayed baking sheet with seams on the bottom.
- With a knife, lightly score the top.
- Sprinkle with smoked paprika.
- Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes.
- Remove plastic and bake at 375 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes.
Attribution
Recipe and photo used with permission from: Rhodes Bake-N-Serv
What’s the story of your worst car trouble?
I was just been driving for a few years back in 1979, though I knew a bit of car mechanics and done basic maintainance myself, I was far from competent.
I was studying in a university far from the city and had a lot of slopes, so eventually I decided to save some money to buy an old car. It was a small MG of 1300 cc engine, as my family had also a MG sedan before, I felt confidence to work on the car to save maintainance costs.
After a few weeks of driving I tried to do a routine check on tires, oil level, water level and other fluidslike battery, coolants, etc, and cleaning the filters spark plug contacts. The brake fluid was a bit low and I found a can of brake fluid marked Dot 3 on the label. I believed it was from the last owner and both color, stickness seemed exactly like those inside the cylinder. I refilled to the normal level and tried a few times and everything seemed alright. Then I drove it from the hostel to the train station which was a 1000 meters downhill.
Then I noticed that something was not right and I was losing the brakes and the speed was increasing. Fortunately I was not panic and I had a good teacher that taughte driving. I used a double clutching and downgear from 4 to 1 and using the hand brake to assist me for turning a corner. To me it was almost a miracle that I reached the bottom and founded a parking space without hitting another car or person.
After that, I had to drain all brake fluids and filled them with proper one.
Hermes Whistleblower & Chinese Manufacturers TEAM UP To BURY Hermes For Fraud?!
https://youtu.be/LL7Qq7q-0UM
Americans are exceedingly proud of their country but are struggling to accept and shrugging off the real world decline of their empire.
The background is this –
- Trump’s cabinet meetings is a gathering of billionaires and multi-millionaires who made their fortune offshoring American jobs to East Asia for massive profits and returns. Boom!
- There has been no historical precedence that the richest people in America who hold political power had intentionally and collectively increased massive taxes on themselves or reduced their net worth significantly for the common man. Boom!
- Had CIA and USAID left the world alone, peace and security would be given a real chance in many parts of the world. The American military industrial complex would be decimated and NATO would cease to exist. Boom!
- The Middle East’s endless conflicts are sustained by British and American interests and intervention. The large Muslim populations in China, Indonesia and Malaysia fended off Western interference in their politics. Their Muslim populations don’t carry assault rifles fighting religious wars and killing Westerners in their countries. Boom!
- US Navy is sending a second aircraft carrier group to the Red Sea for god sake. You are bombing the Houthis who are wearing sandals and living in tents. NYT published an exclusive story of US Generals failing to lead Ukraine to victory over Russia. Americans cannot accept that the US military is no longer able to win wars. It is impossible to prevail against China in a war in their neighborhood. Boom!
- MAGA, in the eyes of foreigners outside America, is in essence a restoration of Anglo-Saxon white supremacy ideology to regain control of America. Every single race, ethnic group and civilization has intelligent and competent people. Killing DEI is ethnic cleansing of non-white intelligentsia from America’s government, schools and companies. Boom!
- Almost every image on Western media on the deportation of illegal migrants are those from poor countries, and they are yellow, brown and black. There are illegals who are poor and white but they are not targets. If there are big illegal migration of poor White Christians from Central and Northern Europe to America, the narrative will be completely different. This is not just a class war or a simple border protection issue. Boom!
- Tariffs are the final defense in America’s hasty retreat to protect its homeland from being overwhelmed by foreign capital and goods. It is not a show of strength but a signal of weakness. China retaliated quickly with 34% tariffs on US products because America has no strong leverage over them. The bald eagle cannot flex her claws if the dragon’s claws have grown 3 times your size. Boom!
The truth is this –
- Tariffs did not stop China’s economic growth every single year since it was imposed. Dotcom bust, the banking crisis, the great recession and Covid did not stop them. Wake the hell up and open your eyes. Boom!
- Tariffs from the No.1 economy will force the rest of the world to look for No.2 for help. The rest of the world is not going to sit there and do nothing. Boom!
- Tariffs will force some manufacturing back to the US. But the factories coming back are for the domestic markets only. You cannot export product from US factories that are uncompetitive outside the US. Americans will make products for Americans only at higher prices. That’s what it is. Boom!
- Tariffs are a double-edged sword. Trump has given every single country the flexibility to use tariffs against American companies and goods. And it will become acceptable to do that with strength in numbers. Boom!
- Tariffs are the fastest and most immediate way to regressively tax the working and middle class. Someone needs to pay for Trump’s tax cuts. US$9.2T of US debt is due soon this year and the rich, the corporations and foreign countries are unwilling to continue funding America’s debt. The billionaires and ultra rich sitting in Trump’s cabinet simply will not let the tax cuts lapse. They will let the tariffs kick in, their profits will be lesser but still significant and they don’t have to pay more taxes. Boom!
Trump is going to console Americans with some manufacturing job wins and display America’s “strength” by bullying small countries.
The big victory goes to China as it is continues its relentless march with many more friends scared off by erratic America. Just watch!
Sir Whiskerton and the Great Quack-tastrophe: A Tale of Yodeling Fish, Diva Ducks, and a Saxophone Full of Regret
Ah, dear reader, prepare your eardrums and loosen your dancing shoes for a tale so musically chaotic, so aquatically absurd, that even the scarecrow might tap a straw foot. Today’s story is one of unrequited quacks, hypnotic harmonies, and a love so loud it could shatter glass. So grab your feather boas, steady your rhythm (good luck), and join me for Sir Whiskerton and the Great Quack-tastrophe: A Tale of Yodeling Fish, Diva Ducks, and a Saxophone Full of Regret.
A Duck in Love (And Desperate for a Duet)
Ferdinand the Duck stood atop the pond’s lone lily pad, saxophone in wing, heart aflutter. Below him, the object of his affection floated like a sequined dream: Lady Quacka, resplendent in her diamond-encrusted goggles and a cape made entirely of recycled gum wrappers.
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“My dearest Lady Quacka,” Ferdinand declared, striking a pose. “Tonight, our voices shall entwine like two harmonious noodles in the soup of love!”
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“Darling, I adore noodles,” Lady Quacka purred, adjusting her boa. “But can you hit a high C without fainting?”
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“Watch me!” Ferdinand inhaled deeply—and promptly blew a bubble through his saxophone.
BLORP.
The bubble floated lazily between them, reflecting their stunned faces.
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“…Modern art?” Ferdinand offered weakly.
Enter the Yodeling Fish (Because of Course)
Just as Ferdinand prepared for a second attempt, the pond’s surface rippled. Then—YODEL-AY-HEE-HOO!
From the depths emerged The Yodeling Fish, a trio of synchronized swimmers with voices like haunted accordions. Their melody swept across the farm like a tidal wave of why.
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“Is that… opera?” Lady Quacka gasped, mistaking their yodels for a rival diva. “UNACCEPTABLE! NO ONE OUT-SINGS THE QUACKA!”
But it was too late. The fish’s hypnotic tune took hold:
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Doris the Hen began line-dancing with a rake.
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Porkchop the Pig waltzed with a bewildered garden gnome.
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The Farmer, entranced, two-stepped with Bartholomew the Piñata, whispering, “You’ve always been my best scarecrow.”
Even Sir Whiskerton found himself marching in perfect formation, muttering, “I hate how catchy this is.”
Love vs. Hypnosis: The Battle of the Beaks
Ferdinand, miraculously unaffected (thanks to his earplugs—“A musician’s secret!”), realized the stakes: If he didn’t serenade Lady Quacka now, she’d spend eternity yodel-waltzing with a catfish.
He leapt onto a floating log, saxophone at the ready.
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“FOR LOVE!” he squawked, launching into a jazzy rendition of Fly Me to the Pond.
The fish faltered. The farm animals wobbled. Lady Quacka, torn between yodeling and jazz hands, clutched her heart.
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“Ferdinand, you fool!” she cried. “That’s… actually kind of sweet!”
SPLASH.
The spell broke. The fish, offended, retreated with a final YODEL-AY-HOO… goodbye.
The End.
Post-Credit Scene:
Chef Remy LeRaccoon serves “Yodel-Flavored Gelato” made from pond water. The animals take one bite and immediately line-dance into the sunset.
Best Lines:
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“Our voices shall entwine like two harmonious noodles in the soup of love!” – Ferdinand, romantic linguist
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“NO ONE OUT-SINGS THE QUACKA!” – Lady Quacka, diva on the edge
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“You’ve always been my best scarecrow.” – The Farmer, hypnotized and heartfelt
Starring:
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Ferdinand the Duck (Jazz-Hands Romeo & Bubble Saxophonist)
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Lady Quacka (Sequined Superstar & Reluctant Yodel Fan)
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The Yodeling Fish (Aquatic Boy Band & Unwitting Villains)
Key Jokes:
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Lady Quacka’s cape is labeled “100% Genuine Fake Diamonds (Probably).”
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The fish’s backstory: “Experiment #47: Glow Pickles + Tuba = ???” – Remy’s notes
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Sir Whiskerton’s hypnotized march includes very precise salutes to mailbox.
Moral:
True love means embracing each other’s quirks—even if those quirks involve hypnotic yodeling or saxophone bubbles.
P.S.
Remember: If life gives you yodeling fish, don’t make gelato. (Or do. We’re not your boss.)
How common is it for fighter pilots to fly supersonic? Do they need to get any sort of approval before breaking the speed of sound? Does the aircraft have to be within certain configuration, e.g. no external tanks?
Do you want to know more about jets going faster than the speed of sound? This happens when a fighter goes faster than sound travel. If an aircraft goes faster than the speed of sound, everyone in the area will notice the sonic boom. Not quiet. Not polite. It feels like you’ve been struck by lightning from above.
They do it for a purpose not only to impress others. It is illegal for them to land over cities or towns. Booms like that can send waves through nearby constructions and quickly upset people. It is common for aircraft to surpass the speed of sound only when they are over large bodies of water or at isolated locations for military exercises.
It uses a lot of fuel as well. If the plane has weapons or additional fuel tanks on board? Good luck. That slows it down. Want speed? Everything inside the jet should be kept clean.
Inside the cockpit? No big shake. No loud noise. It’s not more than a number — Mach 1. That’s it. You’re supersonic.
When is the proper time to do it? Combat. Emergencies. In many cases being forced to wait can be a dangerous situation. Not during airshows. Not for kicks. When a pilot breaks the sound barrier there is always a very serious reason for it.
It’s not about style. It’s about survival. And when that boom hits? It indicates that someone acted very fast and seriously in this situation.
What do you think of Nissan’s plans to shut down two car assembly plants in Japan?
Nissan is dead to me, they turned down the lifeline Honda gave them.
They think they can make it solo with their new radical line of vehicles, and I wish them the very best of British luck. Closing 2 factories now with 5 more planned to go under. The company has always had issues it has been hit or miss, and then they soon screw up the good stuff.
Hopefully, when the Chinese try to acquire Nissan, they decide to be acquired by another Japanese brand.
I watch MM’s Merry Christmas video “Watch what you say in this reality”.
I think maybe that not such much MM followers are base in the USA, is because the USA is widely apart from the Domain but holding their and other countries’ megaphones, maybe with God which they think that’s God. To “make America great again” which as a thought kind of like the USA is the center or the core of world, I thought but not with much power, that I thought few times (I don’t remember how many times, maybe just one.) that the “group(?) of” MM followers doesn’t have the sign of “the USA as the center / core”.
By the way, I don’t know will someone misunderstand something from “huge interpretation” or “explaination” I wrote yesterday (finish day).
(In my new standard, there should be some independance grave accents following alphabets, but instead, they changed the word type and disappear. And you can choose to read or ignore my standard. I found I can’t delete the comment which is hanging below of the comment of huge interpretation, but now I don’t know do I want to delete it.)