About Taiwan
Most Taiwanese who have not visited mainland China know little about their cousins across the strait. Having lived in China for twenty years since 1997, I noticed sharp changes in social behavior, especially of the younger generation.
For example, when I go to Hong Kong, I take the subway (or Metro) to get around. Younger riders would rush in and occupy all seats without regard for older, slower folks.
They promptly glue their eyes on their cellphones ignoring the elderly standing right in front.
When I first landed in mainland China in 1997, it was the Wild West, and everyone wanted to be the first to claim the prize by whatever means.
I also mentioned the unruly crowds trying to order a McDonald's meal. Those chaotic scenes in McDonald's disappeared over time and, when taking public transit in China, teenagers would automatically give up their seats to older people, including me, in my late fifties or early sixties.
I was pleasantly surprised.
Nantou is a pan-Blue county, i.e. pro-KMT. But the KMT is losing supporters (your friends not voting) and DPP legislators have been elected there for the first time in 2023.
Your friends also know the history of the Republic of China in Taiwan, which considers itself the legitimate government of all of China.
It is enshrined in ROC's constitution. The DPP may say they want independence for Taiwan, but they'll have to change the constitution; good luck with that.
Since it will also give the PRC the pretext for unilateral reunification of Taiwan, the DPP will not try.
As for Taiwan fighting the PLA, it's a laughable narrative propagated by the usual liars (people in Taiwan know that it's a joke), the same as the lies about Japan and the Philippines wanting to go to war with China for Taiwan.
If China must reunify Taiwan by force, I'm certain the PLA will only take a few hours to complete the job.
I've written about how and why in the past, so I'll skip the details. No one will have the time or ability to react.
Japan will not dare because it imports most of its food and fuel. An embargo would be deadly.
The greatest concern China would have in such a case is the speedy resumption of normal activities in Taiwan after the reunification under a provisional government.
Therefore, strategically, China should hold secret discussions with proxies of pro-unification political leaders in Taiwan, who have government experience in keeping the population calm and taking over the day-to-day running of whatever government may be in power.
As for Western sanctions, I say let them try.
Aside from the many things the West depends on China to supply, they rely on China for medicine. C
hina has a virtual monopoly on the supply of Key Starter Materials and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients for many drugs, without which Big Pharma and India cannot produce their medicines.
In sanctioning China, the West will cut off their heads to spite their brains.
-PM
The AM Radio
Here, she needed a simple radio. Just an on/off switch and a dial to tune the station to. Oh, and a volume knob. That was it.
So I bought her a nice simple… so simple radio… but paid “good money” for it because it was a reliable brand that would never wear out.
She loved it, but eventually replaced it with a radio bought by my cousin.
She told me why.
She said that she loved my radio, but Cindy made such a fuss about how great and powerful his radio was that she didn’t have the heart to tell her no.
It had a built in cassette tape player, an equalizer, AM and FM bands, plus a citizens and police band, and it has all sorts of dials for tone, bass, and everything like that, plus two big speakers. Well…
My radio was her preference, but she kept the bigger monstrosity in the kitchen out of deference to my cousin.
Later, about a year later, she switched back to my little simple yellow radio. As the bigger radio was too confounding to her, had only two volume settings; loud and very loud, and eventually died.
I don’t know the “full story”, but this was good enough for me.
It was a heartfelt gesture on my part to give my grandmother exactly what she wanted and needed.
Now, I am a guy. I am very, VERY clueless about gifts and had many spectacular failures over the years. But I like to think that this one was a win.
The frying pan
Now my grandmother lived alone (after I moved out), and she needed a small cast iron skillet to cook a single egg for herself or a single slice of bacon. So I planned to get her a tiny, tiny, cast iron skillet.
I picked out the perfect one. Big enough for one egg, and a strip of bacon. Maybe one chicken wing for dinner…
I had to go work in the mines that day, and so I asked my mother who was going into Pittsburgh that day to stop by and pick it up and give to my grandmother.
I gave her the money, the description, the size, the price, the brand name and the model number of that skillet.
And that was that!
Or, so I thought…
I called my grandmother after my shift and asked her if she liked the present, and she said it was “nice” but it was too large and she couldn’t pick it up to put on the stove. And it was too big for her needs.
A big question mark filled in my head.
Turned out that when my mother saw that the price for the tiny cast iron skillet was the same as the jumbo family banquet size that she thought that it would be a value-added decision to get the bigger version.
I was furious! I yelled and bitched and moaned to my mother.
She said she was sorry and didn’t know.
It wasn’t just that… I really wanted to surprise her with what she wanted without her needed to tell me that. It was my first experience in anticipating a woman’s wants and needs.
Thanks to my mother… that was a fail.
She and my auntie went and replaced it with the one that I selected. And I had to explain away the entire fiasco to my grandmother, and the reasoning to my mother, and to my auntie… who had not one iota of a clue as to WHY I insisted in the tiniest cast iron skilled.
Phew!
Somethings you gotta do yourself.
Somethings you gotta do yourself.
Somethings you gotta do yourself.
Somethings you gotta do yourself.
Somethings you gotta do yourself.
Sheech!
That was a FAIL.
Todays…
Sr. American Diplomat Kurt Campbell stated that the USA will hold China accountable for Russia’s territorial gains in Ukraine. What is the Chinese thoughts on this matter? Is the USA overstepping it’s authority?
Heard about six degrees of separation?
This was one of the problems I came across studying Monte Carlo simulations.
Six degrees of separation is a rule of thumb that all people are six or fewer social connections away from each other.
What does it have to do with Kurt the Assistant Secretary of State?
It has all to do with holding the Chinese accountable for Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
The answer lies in secondary sanctions, which is a historic expansion of the big sanction stick enabled by the hegemonic hold of the Eurodollar over the global economy.
How did sanctions work?
America would draw up a list of companies to sanction, and depending on the severity of the sanction, make it illegal for American companies to trade with companies A, B, and C or kick them entirely from the dollar system. This works because of the unnatural size of the US economy, and the requirement for all dollar-based transactions to be cleared through NYC.
That’s direct sanction.
America is introducing secondary sanctions on Russia, to sanction partners that trade with companies A, B and C. This bears a little explaining.
Say companies D, E, and F trade with the three amigos above. Under the old sanction model, their Eurodollar transactions with other parties won’t be affected. But under secondary sanctions, these transactions will be subject to the same sanction. In other words, collective punishment, or guilt by association.
For example, India will find it difficult to resell Russian energy to Europe because the Indian energy company will be subject to the same sanctions as the Russian energy company, and it will affect their Eurodollar business with European customers.
Unfortunately, this lays three potential landmines.
One, how is compliance at the bank going to keep up? Due diligence isn’t just consulting a list from the Fed, but careful examination of a customer’s client list. How will banks quantify the legal risk without securing guarantees on how far the Fed will pursue the policy?
Two, a second degree social map will expand the list of sanctioned entities by multiples, if not an order of magnitude. That’s a snowball rolling downhill, in terms of workload and implementation. It is impractical, to say the least, and can have unintended consequences, especially with China thrown into the mix. The 1 trillion USD in S&P500 revenue on the mainland is at risk of gargantuan disruption.
Three, what’s to prevent parties from setting up intermediaries to add social distance, such that it will require tertiary or quarternary sanctions to have effect? In fact, what if these secondary entities withdraw completely from the Eurodollar system?
I don’t put it beyond the Americans to put the threat of invalidating Chinese patents stateside, and the seizure of China’s dollar assets in the name of “rebuilding Ukraine” and being on the wrong side of history (American-written history that is).
Never say never, because even Barack was openly mocking Donald as late as 2014/15.
So Kurt is right, sort of.
But I happen to think the history of the 21st century won’t be written by America.
Asking of people currently living in South Korea; what is the general opinion of Yoon Suk Yeol? What do citizens think of his rapprochement with Japan, his love affair with the United States, and his thoughts on China?
Despite being the Prosecutor General, President Yoon Seok-yeol was unable to quickly send leftist politicians who committed corruption to prison.
There are many complaints from the public about these matters.
In addition, although many election frauds occurred in the previous National Assembly election and this National Assembly election, these election frauds were not pointed out, causing the public to doubt President Yoon Seok-yeol’s ability.
As for the issue with Japan…
Koreans recognize the importance of the alliance between Korea, the United States, and Japan
However, the problem with Japanese politicians is that they always try to drive a wedge between the United States and Korea.
When any political or military agreement is reached between Korea, the United States, and Japan, Japan always argues over Korea’s Dokdo issue.
In other words, Japan has a history of taking over Korea’s land…
Rather, they often engage in actions that provoke Korea.
And, Japan pretends that this problem is a territorial issue.
If this happens, it will stimulate the emotions of the Korean people and lead them to reject what Korea, the United States, and Japan worked hard to negotiate.
Because of these problems, it is always difficult for Korea and Japan to become closer politically.
However, Koreans have a cool-headed mind.
Japan is a perpetrator against Korea and often incites hatred against Korea…
In Korea, the only people who hate Japan are leftists.
Ordinary Koreans do not give any disadvantages to individual Japanese people.
In the case of Japan, there are many cases of discrimination against Koreans traveling to Japan or terrorism by putting strange things in their food…
In Korea, if there is a Korean who does this to the Japanese, Koreans criticize the bad Korean and bury him or her from society.
This is the difference between Korea and Japan
And, regarding the issue with the United States…
First of all, more than 80-58% of Koreans like the United States.
However, the United States often ignores the sentiments of Koreans when implementing policies toward Korea.
For example, let’s talk about Trump’s issue of military expenses for U.S. troops stationed in Korea.
“Korea is doing well and the U.S. military is protecting Korea, so Korea must pay more for stationing U.S. troops. Otherwise, we will withdraw the U.S. troops.”
Korean people feel very bad after hearing these remarks.
“As the U.S. military’s defense budget is decreasing, I hope Korea will pay more to help the U.S. military stationed in Korea.”
If you said that, negotiations would have become easier without hurting the sentiments of Koreans.
There is a difference in how the two sentences are used and expressed, but the result is that you are asked to pay more.
From the U.S. perspective, if Korea ends up paying more, it doesn’t matter how it is said.
However, speaking in the latter way does not mean that America’s pride will be broken or hurt.
Koreans’ emotions tend to respond strongly to the strong and help the weak.
Therefore, although the United States is not weak, these sentiments of Koreans must be taken into consideration.
South Korea sent Korean soldiers to America’s Vietnam War.
After the Vietnam War ended, many wounded soldiers and Agent Orange victims remained in Korea and suffered greatly.
However, the United States had no interest in these soldiers dispatched to Korea.
Later, during the Iraq War, when the United States requested the deployment of Korean troops, leftists in Korea opposed the deployment of combat troops and were able to obtain the consent of the Korean people.
Now, the question is if war breaks out between Taiwan and China.
China has frequently threatened to attack Korea with nuclear missiles using state-run media and Chinese YouTubers.
However, the United States only promised a nuclear umbrella over South Korea, but did not take actual action.
The problem facing us today is that the United States must either tolerate South Korea’s nuclear armament or lend American nuclear weapons to Korea.
Then, China will not be able to threaten Korea with nuclear missiles, and Korea will be able to help the United States as an ally.
The United States said, “Japan doesn’t have nuclear weapons either, so doesn’t it say it will help the United States?” It can be argued that
Japan has no real threat or target of war from North Korea.
However, South Korea is in a position to defend itself and help the United States in a war with North Korea.
Unless Korea is armed with nuclear weapons, Korea cannot help the United States as an ally when China attacks Taiwan.
The responsibility for Korea’s failure to help the United States lies entirely with the United States.
Next is the problem with China.
In the past, the relationship between Korea and China was not bad.
However, things quickly got worse as the Korean people learned that China was interfering in Korean politics and inciting public opinion in Korea.
In particular, Korean citizens become angry whenever Chinese politicians, diplomats, state-run media, etc. make arrogant remarks about Korea.
Whenever a social problem arises and China becomes noisy, it tries to use Korea to solve it.
In other words, they are trying to resolve social conflict by criticizing and being hostile towards Korea.
These Chinese policies are a factor that is causing Korea and China to become increasingly distant.
5 Reasons Why Men Are Going Their Own Way
She’s pretty good and makes some great points. A contract not a marriage.
“Ukrainians are losing more soldiers every day now than they ever have in the past—we shouldn’t be surprised.
They’re falling apart, they’re collapsing, so they’re falling back.
German losses in the last year of the Second World War—it wasn’t even a year; I would say it was like nine months—were much larger than they had taken in all the months before the end of the war.
This happens at the end of conflicts—things fall apart; people are trying to withdraw, disengage from combat, and they’re slaughtered.
That’s happening in Ukraine.
It’s inhumane; we should stop it. We and Washington should intervene and say, ‘No, stop! Let’s come to some sort of negotiated settlement before Ukraine is completely destroyed,’ but no one will do it.
Their position is not going to improve at this point—who are they going to train and arm?
An enormous amount of effort has been invested over the last two and a half to three years to train and arm troops from Ukraine. There’s only so much you can do.
I think it’s because Europeans, particularly Western Europeans, are so remote from reality when it comes to warfare—they’ve forgotten that you build a military establishment over decades; you don’t snap your fingers and bring something into existence. That’s number one.
Number two, there’s far too much fascination with what I would call ‘silver bullet technology.’
If we just give the Ukrainians enough Javelin missiles, they’ll destroy all those Russian tanks. No.
If we just give them enough Taurus missiles, we can obliterate their logistical infrastructure. No.
In other words, if we give them something that appears to be another miracle weapon—you know, what Hitler called ‘Wunderwaffe’—that sort of nonsense is not going to change things. No, it will not.
There was never any chance to begin with for Ukraine to be successful.
They had as much chance against Russia as Mexico would have against the United States. Forget it.
I’m surprised that, in many respects, they’ve done as well as they have, but I think that’s also a function of two things:
First of all, the Russian military establishment and its leadership do not want to take heavy casualties.
For the first time certainly since I would say the mid or late 19th century, there is a true interest in preserving Russian life in uniform.
During World War II, we now know that the losses in that country—at least 15 to 16 million soldiers were killed, and another 20 plus million civilians—probably a total of 39 to 40 million dead in total.
The Russians are not going to do that, and they don’t need to, and they know that.
Putin is also a man of immense patience; there are others that wanted to move more decisively, and he said, ‘If you move more decisively, it will create the illusion that we are everything they say we are—that we’re bad, that we’re trying to conquer. That’s not what we’re about; we don’t want to do that; we don’t want to kill more Orthodox Slavs. That’s not our position; that’s not why we’re here.’
Putin has won this war through patience, persistence, and perseverance.
And I think now in the spring—late April to mid-May, once the ground is dry—the Russians will sweep forward and end this war.”
NATO forces have been unable to deter the pro-Palestine operations of the Yemeni armed forces despite heavily militarizing the Red Sea
APR 12, 2024
France’s Aquitaine-class FREMM frigate Alsace has turned tail from the Red Sea after running out of missiles and munitions repelling attacks
from the Yemeni armed forces, according to its commander, Jerome Henry.
“We didn’t necessarily expect this level of threat. There was an uninhibited violence that was quite surprising and very significant. [The Yemenis] do not hesitate to use drones that fly at water level, to explode them on commercial ships, and to fire ballistic missiles,” Henry told French news outlet Le Figaro
in an exclusive interview published on 11 April.
“We had to carry out at least half a dozen assistances following [Yemeni] strikes,” he added.
The commander of the Alsace also revealed that, after a 71-day deployment, all combat equipment was depleted.
“From the Aster missile to the 7.62 machine gun of the helicopter, including the 12.7mm, 20mm, or 76mm cannon, we dealt with three ballistic missiles
and half a dozen drones,” Henry adds.
According to the French commander, the Franco–Italian Aster missile – each carrying a price tag of up to $2 million – “was pushed to its limits” by the Yemeni armed forces, as the Alsace had to use it “on targets that we did not necessarily imagine at the start.”
Henry added that Sanaa has markedly increased its use of ballistic missiles after relying mainly on suicide drones at the start of the country’s pro-Palestine operations in the Red Sea and stressed that the French Navy has not faced such a tough battle since NATO collectively launched its 2011 war on Libya to depose the late ruler Muammar Gaddafi.
“I was there too. It wasn’t the same thing. It has been even longer since we have engaged with this level of weaponry and violence. The threat to the boat was much greater in the Red Sea,” Henry notes.
The Alsace entered
the Red Sea in late January, a few weeks after the US and the UK launched an illegal war on Yemen to protect Israeli shipping interests. The frigate was deployed as part of the EU naval operation Aspides – Greek for shield.
With a mandate initially set for one year, Aspides saw the deployment of several EU warships and airborne early warning systems to the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and surrounding waters. According to authorities in Brussels, the mission is exclusively defensive, and its forces are not taking part in US-led attacks against Yemen.
Aspides came together after several NATO members proved hesitant or outright refused
to join the floundering Operation Prosperity Guardian
(OPG), which a top US commander called one of the largest battles the navy has fought since the end of World War II.
“We favor a diplomatic solution. We know that there is no military solution,” US Special Envoy for Yemen Timothy Lenderking said earlier this month, acknowledging the futility of Washington’s military strategy against the Arab world’s poorest country.
According to Yemeni sources who spoke with The Cradle
, US officials recently offered Sanaa “an acknowledgment of its legitimacy” in exchange for its neutrality in the ongoing war on Gaza.
“[Washington] pledged to repair the damages, remove foreign forces from all occupied Yemeni lands and islands, and remove Ansarallah from the State Department’s ‘terrorism list’ – as soon as they stop their attacks in support of Gaza,” The Cradle columnist Khalil Nasrallah cited the sources as saying.
The offer also includes “severely reducing” the role of the Saudi-appointed Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) and “accelerating the signing of a roadmap” with the Saudi-led coalition to end the nine-year war that has decimated Yemen.
Nevertheless, Yemeni officials have maintained that their operations in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and the Indian Ocean will continue until Israel stops the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
“From the coast of the Red Sea or from outside it, we can achieve the goals we want in defense of our country and support of Palestine … We still have many military surprises, and there are military operations that we are keeping secret as part of a specific media strategy,” Mohammad Ali al-Houthi
, a senior member of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council, announced on 3 April.
How many years ahead is WeChat of WhatsApp and why is China so much ahead of the US in service integrations via mobile?
All of the mobile companies are state-owned, and all of the banks are state-owned, which means that they are technology-driven, not by the need to make a profit.
China is driven by technology scale, not by profit. The Chinese government supports any new technology which is likely to be quickly adopted.
In contrast, US tech companies are driven by shareholder profits, and the shareholders are many and have fragmented interests. This means that technology scale takes a back seat to profits, since shareholders want to profit from their investment.
WeChat was designed by a team of 10 in Guangzhou who had previous experience working with the Chinese government through its ownership by Tencent. Tencent consulted with the Chinese government to get their support for connecting to payment systems and mobile networks.
This kind of government support does not exist in the West, and explains why China is progressing quickly in key technology fields.
Let Loose With Tokyo’s Unbridled Maid Girls – No NG Rule, Just Fun!
This is why Men are going overseas to find wives and dates
Did Iran’s ballistic missiles ‘land’ at Israel’s Nevatim Air Base?
Four of them struck the air base
Imagine if they had a nuclear warhead each
…
They would be guided by either GLOSNASS or BEIDOU so US cant jam the GPS guidance
The Discharge alone would be sufficient to contaminate upto a strike radius of 25 Kms or an area of 3.14*25*25 which is roughly around 2000 Sq Kms
That’s the end of the soil for the next 300 years
That’s a lot of radioactive dust
That’s a lot of atmospheric radiation
Thats the end of Israel as we know it
Today US, UK, France came to Israel’s Aid and helped destroy more than half the targets
Imagine if the West escalates with Putin who decides to launch missiles on Europe and UK
Or Xi who decides to launch on Japan and Philippines
Or Kim Jong Un who decides to launch against Japan, Australia and South Korea
So
→South Korea is locked
→Japan is locked
→Europe is locked
→UK is locked
→US is torn between three theatres and no way strong enough to win even in one
So Israel would have to deal with Houthis, Hezbollah, Hamas and Iran on their own
And Israel would be certainly stuck badly
That was the benefit of the entire exercise
To show Israel that Israel cannot stand up to Iran and it’s allies Alone
And also to show that if Iran has nuclear warheads , Israel cannot escape a nuclear strike because despite the strongest air defence of FOUR NATIONS – 7 Missiles managed to get through
Was there a stranger you met once, are not likely to meet again, and who profoundly affected you?
After a student-party in Bergen, about 15 years ago, I was heading out of the party and out into the night, on my way home.
I noticed a single young woman having come from the same party, standing under a tree, looking sad. I went over to her, and though this is completely out of character for me, I asked her if she needed a hug. To this day, I don’t know why I asked precisely that, it’s not the kind of thing I tend to say to strangers, and I haven’t before or after.
She just nodded, and I hugged her. It went on for a long time, and she clung to me as if I was her anchor in a crumbling world. After a minute I noticed my shoulder getting wet, she was crying. I didn’t mind, it felt good to just stand there, holding her.
I don’t know how long we stood there, holding each other. 2 minutes ? 5 ? Something like that. Then she stood up straight and really looked at me for the first time. She was still sad, but there was a tiny smile lurking at the edge of her sadness.
“Thanks!” she said, “I needed that.”
We went separate ways after that. We didn’t say anything more to each other, but I don’t think it was needed either. I never met her again.
But I offer people hugs somewhat more often now. Sometimes they’re needed.
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN was too much for me.
What’s the most savage way you’ve seen someone get fired?
Well I’m not sure this is the most savage, however it is quite different. I was working at a tooling manufacturing facility in the late 60’s. There was a man working there who constantly attempted to stir up drama and conflict almost everyday. The management had warned him quite a few times to no avail. Their warnings seemed to fall on deaf ears. He still continued to cause conflict. The company gave him a 3 day suspension. When he returned his behavior had gotten worse. The company continued to receive complaints. There were rumors for weeks that the company was trying to get rid of him. One week when we were working the 4pm to midnight shift. He had caused a problem between a woman and man who were working close together in the press department by spreading lies that he saw them being intimate in the hall outside the locker room. Somehow the story had gotten back to the woman’s husband. The next evening just after quitting time at 12 midnight as we were walking to our cars. The woman’s husband who was waiting outside grabbed the unexpecting man who he thought was making it with his wife and a fight broke out. The police had to come break up the fight and arrested the woman’s husband. The man who started the rumor stood there laughing and thought the whole thing was funny. The following day the company sent the man a singing telegram saying, “you are fired, you are fired, don’t come to work tonight, ha ha, You are fired, you are fired, don’t come to work tonight, ha ha, we will mail your check, ha ha, hope you think it’s funny ha ha ha he ha”. Well the man did come to work that night and he was mad as hell. After a confrontation with the HR dept. as the police hauled him away. someone on the PA system was singing ha ha ha ha ha. The telegram managed to get on the company bulletin board for all to read. Then everyone had a laugh
What’s the most unreasonable request you’ve received from your boss?
It’s my day off and work calls. The General manager has yet again had things get away from her.
Usually I don’t mind, let me clock in and I can watch my paycheck grow this time I need to be somewhere soon. I tell her “OK I’ll play Rescue Ranger and drop in and take care of it I am guessing it will take two hours or a little less and when done I am gone.” Kinda plan to see that I am not staying right?
Damn if while I am working on one thing she dosen’t go and start something else. When I am done with the first task she expects to walk off and me finish what she has started. When I say no she has a fit.
“Thanks for nothing!” Followed with “Now you know how I feel!” Then it was down hill for me so I got a transfer to another location. As part of the move I have the District manager wanting to know what’s going on. After explaining the constant damma show working for her was I brought up some suspicions that I thought he should know.
The fallout for her was unreal, two managers under her quit in ten days and about half the staff was gone. The District manager waited about sixty days then acted on my suspicions and was waiting outside for her when she showed up. Turned out the money count was off about $1,200. That was the end of her.
What women don’t realize; WHY men stop putting in effort into a relationship…
What is the reason for the limit on having children in China? Is it beneficial or detrimental to the country?
An Average Chinese Landholding for Rice is 57 Acres
Take a farming family
You have a father, mother and son
When the father dies, the son takes over the landholding, gets married and a new wife and son live on the land
Soon the mother dies
That’s 3 people again
Then the son dies and his son takes over the landholding
At all time this 57 Acres supports 3 or maximum 4 people
So Yield of Rice is high and good
Now imagine the Farmer family again
Say you have a father, mother and 3 sons
This means when the father dies, each son gets 19 Acres (57/3)
So the landholding is divided the first time around
Then each son has 2 sons each
This means six holdings of 9.5 Acres each
And each such son has two more
That’s twelve holdings of 4.75 acres each
So ONE HOLDING OF 57 ACRES becomes TWELVE HOLDINGS OF 4.75 ACRES in four generation
Now instead of 57 Acres supporting 3–4 people at a time, you have the same 57 Acres now divided into twelve , supporting a whopping 30-40 people
So Yield is poor and People are poor and struggling with economies of Scale
This was China in the 1970s
You didn’t exactly have IT Jobs for younger sons to flock off to and you couldn’t just take a flight to San Francisco without hocking your entire family fortune
Deng Xiaoping believed China had no other way out
In order to feed almost a Billion People in 1980 properly, China had to ensure that the Landholdings were large enough to be productive
Otherwise Land would be divided into smaller and smaller portions and end up having pathetic yields and horrible economies of scale
Like INDIA
Where Yield is 40% of Chinas and costs per acre are 68% higher than China despite 55% of the land being under cultivation
Plus in India you can sell Landholdings for a few crores to build villas and landed plots
It was hugely beneficial for China
It kept China fed when more and more land came under Industrialization and Land under cultivation stands at 9.87% today
The only flaw was a large number of girl babies were subjected to infanticide yet it now turns out many girl babies were adopted out or kept hidden in the Hukou and claimed to be daughter of a cousin from far away outer mongolia
Asking of people currently living in South Korea; what is the general opinion of Yoon Suk Yeol? What do citizens think of his rapprochement with Japan, his love affair with the United States, and his thoughts on China?
I am not living in Korea, but let me share what my Korean buddy tells me. They hate the humiliation this rapprochement with Japan signifies and shoved down their throat. They are fuming. Near the THADD campground, there are daily protests by senior farmers. They are ecstatic to see Yoon’s party losing this congress election in a landside of 192 : 108. This reflects S Korean’s strong anti-US sentiment brought about by their Mr. American Pie president. Koreans are a proud people. Yoon’s recent yield to the demand of medical community is considered insincere and too late. They are not buying it. He will be a lame duck in the remaining 3 years for sure.
She Found Out How Hard It Is To Be A Man (Shocked)
Who saved your life without even knowing it?
A stranger dialed the wrong number and saved my life.
I was competing to be a ski instructor in Aspen. I passed 3 ski rounds and if I excelled today, I would have a final interview the next day. The head instructor told that I didn’t make the last round. My boyfriend Barry and I, along with another couple, had planned a vacation starting that night if I didn’t make the final round.
Now I was able to fly out with them as originally planned and not the next day. I was to meet him and our friends at the airport in half an hour. The other couple had a private plane and wanted to leave before dark.
As I finished packing, I received a call from some stranger in the main office who was confirming my interview tomorrow. I thought that I was cut and hired as an on-mountain marketing rep instead. She said no, that I had a 10am interview.
I quickly called Barry and told him to go ahead. I’d meet them tomorrow afternoon in Denver, and onto our vacation. About 40 minutes later I received a call from someone in the main office informing me that I was a snow-host and uniform fittings were next week. I was ticked off because I was given the wrong information earlier, causing me to miss my flight. Now I would have to pay for a commercial ticket and vacation the next day.
About midnight, the phone rang and it’s Barry’s attorney. He said, ‘’Jenna, I’m afraid I have some bad news, Barry’s plane crashed and there weren’t any survivors. They are all gone’’. I was too stunned to cry immediately. The girl in the office, whose identity we never confirmed, had stopped me within 20 minutes of joining them on that plane.
A stranger, a temp helper, made a mistake and by delaying me, she saved me from dying in a plane crash that day. The office staff never heard from her again, so she never knew, nor could I find out who she was.
Update on Taiwan
From my China's Writer's Group. -MM
- What are the reasons they don’t feel comfortable in Taiwan?
- Do they feel that Taiwan is being set up like Ukraine, as a US proxy, to fight China to the last Taiwanese?
- Living and working in Nantou City
- Did they vote?
- They didn’t know about weekly demonstrations for reunification with China
- Re TSMC. They didn’t have a strong opinion about this. I told them about the US plan to take TSMC under US control in the USA, however, the problem is that US workers want to be paid much higher than in Taiwan. And the workforce is not well education in the US. So there aren’t enough skilled workers.
- The economy is not going so well in Taiwan.
The Wall Is Slowly Getting Bigger For Lonely Modern Women ..
Chicken Lemon Rice Soup
By Rena Awada | Updated On November 30, 2019 This easy Chicken Lemon Rice Soup recipe is filling and just perfection in a bowl during the winter. Filled with veggies and chicken and so filling and tasty in a lemony broth. Warm and comforting homemade chicken soup that the whole family will enjoy.
Set your classic chicken noodle soup to the side and make this homemade Chicken Lemon Rice Soup for a change. It is filled with veggies and chicken in a lemony broth that will get you wanting a second and third bowl. Such an easy chicken soup recipe that everyone in your house will love and there won’t be any leftovers.
HOW TO MAKE THIS HOMEMADE CHICKEN LEMON AND RICE SOUP
You should have all your ingredients set up and ready. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat, add the chicken and sear for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Then, add in the onions, carrot, bell pepper and celery and cook until tender, about 5-6 minutes. Go ahead and add the garlic and thyme. Cook until fragrant for about a minute or so. The aroma for this Chicken Lemon Rice Soup should start to fill up your kitchen by now. Add the chicken broth, bay leaf, and brown rice, then bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until rice is cooked through about 20-25 minutes. Using a fork, remove the chicken pieces and shred them using 2 forks. Finally, return the shredded chicken to the pan and stir in lemon juice, zest, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to your taste and enjoy.
CHICKEN LEMON RICE SOUP SUBSTITUTES
- Chicken: Use boneless or skinless hicken thighs or breasts. I love using mostly boneless breasts. Some may love keeping bone-in for added flavor.
- Rice: You may use brown or white rice. A great substitute for the rice would be either quinoa or some shredded cauliflower to keep it keto!
- Veggies: Some other veggies to use can be broccoli, green beans, peas, and cauliflower.
HOW LONG DOES CHICKEN SOUP LAST IN THE FRIDGE
Store your chicken soup in an airtight container before you place it in the fridge to retain its fresh taste. The chicken soup should last for 5-7 days in the fridge.
CAN YOU FREEZE HOMEMADE CHICKEN SOUP
If you have a lot of leftovers, you can store the rest of the chicken soup in an airtight container and freeze. They should last for 4-6 months frozen. When you are ready for the chicken soup, remove the night before and allow it to thaw in the fridge. Then reheat it on your stovetop until it starts boiling again. Adjust the taste if needed.
HOW LONG TO BOIL CHICKEN FOR SOUP
You may not need to cook the chicken ahead for some chicken soup recipes. On my chicken lemon rice soup, you will be cooking the chicken along with everything else, remove the chicken to shred almost halfway through and then add it back in. If a recipe asks for you to cook the chicken separately, bring a pot of water to boil, add chicken breasts or thighs along with some herbs for some flavor. You can use cinnamon, whole cloves, and bay leaf. Allow it to boil for about 15-20 minutes. Even if it’s not completely cooked through thats fine. After you shred and place in the pot with veggies, it will have more time to cook thoroughly.
BRICS new Members: BRICS to Triple Its Members
What is the funniest joke you’ve been told that you still think about to this day?
An engineer dies in a car wreck and goes to the pearly gates. St. Peter looks through his book and tells the man, “Sorry, I don’t see your name here at all. You gotta go to the other place.
The man goes to Hell and looks around at the shape it’s in, and being an engineer, goes to work. Before long the AC is working great keeping all the buildings cool, the buildings are all up to code, the parks are green and growing greener because he fixed the plumbing systems, the streets are getting repaved, and things are getting comfortable.
Meanwhile God is wondering where the engineer he ordered is, so he asks St. Peter about it, and St. Peter tells him that the man’s name wasn’t in the book so he sent him to Hell.
God goes to Hell and pounds on the door. Satan answers and God tells him, “You have my engineer. I want him. Satan says, “Can’t have him.” God says, “ I want my engineer. Give him to me now!” Satan says, “Nope. He’s mine.” God says, “I’ll sue you!”
Satan laughs, crosses his arms over his chest, leans against the door jamb and says, “Where are you gonna find a lawyer?”
As a doctor or nurse, what were the strangest last words you’ve heard?
I was taking care of a patient in the neuro ICU once. He had been comatose for quite a while after a CVA and was going to be transferred to long term care as not likely to awaken. I always talk to my comatose patients as if they can hear me, explaining what’s about to happen, what day it is and the like. I was talking to the guy explaining the night’s plan and his eyes were tracking me, something he didn’t normally do. Comatose people will sometimes open their eyes and stare at something bright, or just straight ahead, but this guy normally did not open his eyes.
“Are you listening to me?” He nodded. “Can you speak?” He shook his head no. “Give me a thumbs up on the left hand” He did. “Now the right” He did. “That’s great! Welcome back! You’ve been away so long we thought you weren’t coming back! I’ll go call the doc to come check you out!”
The guy smiled, and died.
What is the most regretful thing you ever said?
When I was in grade 8, I had just finished changing for gym, and I was walking to my locker, when my wallet fell out of my pants. I didn’t know it was my wallet, but I had heard something, and I turned around, and the principal was right behind me. He was a strict, mean, opinionated man, and I turned around quickly so I wouldn’t have to deal with him. Evidently, he had been walking right behind me, and scooped up my wallet, before I could turn around.
He kept it for three weeks, before giving it to my parents, saying that he had been teaching me a lesson about responsibility.
It was a small school, and I had been with everyone in the class since grade 1, we were all very close friends.
During that three weeks, I thought it through. The only people who could have stolen my wallet, were the boys in my class, my teacher, the principal and the janitor. Nobody else had access. I was taught to respect authority, so I immediately dismissed any thoughts of my teacher or principal stealing my wallet.
I had no way to approach the janitor.
So I was left with the boys in my class. All good friends.
This was shocking to me, how could someone I trusted like a brother do this to me?
It was tearing me apart, that I couldn’t trust my friends. So I approached them one by one, and said that someone had seen them with my wallet. They all vehemently denied it, because they were all innocent.
My principal had ruined my life long friendships. Or rather I had ruined them, because my sanctimonious principal had stolen my wallet, and I didn’t believe it could be him.
It took months to rebuild those relationships.
Accusing my friends was the most regretful thing I have ever said.
If an employee gives a 2 year resignation notice and not a 2 weeks notice, what should the company do?
I had a boss that told the company that he was quitting in 8 weeks’ time. As the quit date approached my boss was questioned about whether he was actually quitting on that date or if he could stay on a little longer. He reiterated that it was a firm date and he would be gone on that date.
It came down to that quit date Friday and during the morning meeting where they discuss who will be taking what responsibilities during the next week, it came my bosses turn speak. He reiterated that he wouldn’t be there the next week. They asked if he was going on vacation. He told them no he was quitting and would not be back. They then went around the table again asking who could take over my bosses old duties. They then assigned those duties to an engineer who was shocked to be handed such responsibilities.
I also have a son-in-law who told his boss that he had interviewed and been accepted at another company not competing with his current company. The boss told him to continue to work on his projects and they would find someone to train under him until he left. during this time, they offered him a pay raise, a promotion, a different duty assignment, along with a trainee to nurture until his final day.
Most of my work experience had been when you turned in your 2 weeks’ notice the company walked you out the door right then along with a letter of non-compete and would mail you your two weeks’ pay.
If nearly all locks can be picked, why do we still use them?
My dad lives on a dead end street (sort of a cul de sac), a year ago someone living several houses down the street knocked on his door one morning and said he had been robbed in the night. Slept through it all and woke up to see half his downstairs missing.
My dad has a camera out the front of his house and the neighbour just wanted to see if there was a time when the guy or guys had been past. So, he starts looking through the footage and instead he sees someone actually approach his door (unfortunately wearing a baseball cap and looking down so not much use) and just try the handle. My dad locks his and bolts his door at night so no luck but then the guy just left and moved on. He didn’t try to pick it, or have a go at the windows or anything. Ten minutes later, a van drives past and half an hour later the van reserves back out.
My dad turns to his neighbour and goes “do you lock your door?”
“no. It’s always been fine before and how would anyone know I don’t lock my door”
My dad knows one other person near the top of the street who also has a camera so they go over there and see his footage. Twenty minutes before the man tried my dad’s house, the guy near the top of the street also had a burglar approach his door, try it and then leave.
As far as we know, these guys tried about 40 houses before finding someone who just didn’t bother to lock his door at night. The moral of the story, your house doesn’t need to be Fort Knox, just tougher than the one next door.
What’s the most disrespectful comment a teacher has made to you in front of everyone?
I moved a lot as a child and went to many many schools. I did get to go to the same school, my junior and senior year. I was always the skinny new girl with kinky hair and crooked eyes. My eyes were crooked because I was blind in my right eye from birth and it just sort of wandered around in my head and did whatever it wanted. My parents had had it operated on twice to try to fix the muscles but the problem was that the eye was blind and that was that ( when I was 32 the Cleveland clinic put titanium muscles in my eye and made it look almost normal)
I was always in the new kid, the funny looking kid, but I was also the smart kid. My junior year I was placed in an honors class in English with the most disgusting teacher I have ever met. He was so loved by his students. He was certainly not loved by me. He loved to tease me about my crooked eyes. He also consistently stated to the class that nothing of any value ever came from south of the Mason Dixon line, a quote from HL Mencken, the journalist in the scopes monkey trials. The fact that I was from Ohio, which was north of the Mason Dixon line, sort of escaped him.
in addition to his constant insults, one day he slapped me in the face with a paper I wrote. Actually he slapped me three times. I pretty much think that was the most disrespectful thing that a teacher did to me. His reason for slapping me was that I had not developed my paper sufficiently. to punish me, he made me write it over and I did. It was 32 typewritten pages, and he read the entire thing to the class page by page.
However, in the end I won. One day he was standing next to my desk and he was laughing. He threw his head back and his upper plate fell out on my desk and rattled around like “chattering teeth”. and then came to rest next to my pencil, I just looked up and smiled at him. he taught the rest of the class that day holding his false teeth in his hand and trying to talk properly without them. I might’ve felt sorry for I am if it wasn’t for the fact that he thought my crooked eye was so funny. On my high school class page on Facebook, the story of the chattering teeth has been recounted many times, even by people who weren’t in the class. In my high school yearbook the valedictorian of my class wrote “to hell with HL Mencken “
Chili Chicken Tortilla Soup
Make this Chili Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe for a warm and comforting meal all year round. It is easy to make, filling, and packed with flavor. Enjoy this filling and hearty soup any day of the week as a main or side dish.
Soups are very comforting when the weather gets colder. They are filling and easy to make when you only have an hour on hand to come up with dinner. This easy chicken tortilla soup has the bold flavors of chili and Mexican flavors all in one bowl. Made with shredded chicken breast, black beans, corn, and a handful of bold spices. Serve this Mexican chicken soup recipe as a main dish or a side dish along with the main course. For a creamy version of tortilla soup check out our Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe or you can also try our super tasty Chicken Enchilada soup. You may also like this Chicken Chili Recipe
Recipe Summary
- Comforting and filling: This chicken tortilla soup with bold chili flavors is packed with fiber and protein to make a comforting and filling meal.
- Easy to make: all you need is 30 minutes to make this easy and healthy chicken soup.
- Tasty: Packed with flavor. You will love it.
Ingredients you will need
- Olive Oil: any other oil of choice can be used like avocado oil.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts: you may also use boneless and skinless chicken thighs.
- Sweet Onion: or any onion you have on hand
- Garlic Cloves minced: we do recommend using fresh garlic cloves for optimal flavor.
- Red Chili (or to taste): this is optional if you can’t handle spice.
- Spices: Ground Cumin, Chipotle Powder, or Chili Powder
- Cherry Tomatoes or diced fire-roasted tomatoes: these can be purchased in cans or you can make your own at home.
- Low Sodium Chicken Broth: you may use vegetable broth.
- Black Beans: rinsed and drained
- Corn: can be Fresh or frozen corn can be used
- 2 Limes– Juiced, you may use lemons if you do not have lime.
- Tortillas: cut into 1/4-inch strips
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Cooking Spray
How to make chicken tortilla soup
- Heat olive oil In a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, chili, and seasonings, and cook until onion softens about 4 minutes.
- Add chicken breast, canned tomatoes, broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until chicken is cooked through about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat a nonstick pan over medium heat and spray it with cooking spray.
- Add tortilla strips in a single layer and fry until golden brown and crispy, on both sides. You might need to work in batches to not overcrowd the pan.
- Once the chicken is cooked, remove from soup and shred it.
- Add chicken back to the pot together with beans, corn and lime juice. Mix to combine then simmer for a couple of minutes more.
- Serve soup hot with crispy tortilla strips on top and enjoy!
Have you ever been lost or stranded? Can you describe the experience?
1993 Labor Day weekend my girlfriend at the time, now my wife of 30 years and I went to Lake Tahoe. On the way home at the highest point of the highway crossing the Sierras my car stopped like it had overheated. We pulled off to the side of the highway and waited for it to cool off. About 30 minutes later a California Highway Patrol officer pulled up behind us. We explained that we might have overheated and the engine had quit on us. He said that this was regular patrol area and he would come back and check on us. Well two hours later the car would not start, temperature was dropping fast outside and we just had a couple of sweatshirts and a jacket for warmth. We decided to try to take a nap until the officer returned to help us. The officer never came back to check on us. We slept in the car while coyotes and other wild animals could be heard making noises right outside the car. This was absolutely terrifying and bone chilling to say the least. At first light we realized we were parked right next to the entrance of a PG&E substation and people were arriving for work. We went down and explained to them our situation and asked if we could first use the facilities and freshen up. Then one of them helped us get in touch with the Ford dealer about 20 minutes away. They sent out a tow truck to pick us and the car up. Being it was Labor Day they were closed and only the tow trucks were there. The driver got all our information and helped us find a rental car to get back home to San Francisco. A couple of days later we got a phone call saying that we had a blown engine but the car was still under a factory warranty and we were covered by it. The service advisor also told us that the first $30 per day of the rental car was covered by the warranty. They would be replacing the engine with a brand new one and it would take two weeks to complete as they had to submit the paperwork to Detroit for fulfillment. So all in all, we spent an uncomfortable and scary night in a place we had no way of communicating with the outside world because it was in the days when only the affluent people had cellular phones. We survived the night and ended up with a new engine in the car for a nominal price.
If civilization started from Egypt and China, how did Europe become more civilized than them? Why did civilization spread faster in Europe than Africa or Asia? Could it be because Africa and Asia have too many languages? Did colonization help?
Europe is not more civilized; it is just that for the past 500 years it has controlled the narrative because of colonialism.
Now that the economic center of the world is moving to Asia and Africa, that period is ending because Asia and Africa are the population centers of the world, with the most economic activity.
The period of European privilege is ending now.
Have you, while repairing a computer, ever found anything that made your jaw drop?
I used to work at a tech support call center. So when the pastor down the street started experiencing problems with his computer, his wife called me to see if I could help. I was not a member of their congregation, but it was a small town and we all helped each other when we could.
His computer had been infected with a virus, and it was not difficult to delete it. But his browser was terribly slow, the home page had been changed to an adult website, and there were multiple bookmarks for po’n sites.
I updated his antivirus and ran a scan. After clearing out the malware, I fixed the browser, deleting all the adult bookmarks and keeping the ones he wanted to keep.
His wife seemed to have no idea how it happened, but it was obvious to me. He’d been looking at po’n and clicked something that infected his computer. He sat there like a deer in the headlights. He said something about clicking a link in an email he got, and that’s when all the problems started. I didn’t want to cause any problems between him and his wife, so I just warned him not to click on any links that came from people he didn’t trust.
How is it helping the homeless if you pay for a motel for a few days then after the few days they go back being homeless?
I’ve had a couple people pay for hotel rooms for a night, and let me tell ya – it’s a godsend.
How? Well, one time, when it was storming really bad in Southern California – someone I love dearly paid three nights for a room right down the street. For the first time in a couple years I was free of my wardrobe and tent – suitcase and backpack – so I went to a movie and had a nice dinner out.
I felt human for the first time in years. A fresh hot shower rather than a bird bath, a warm comfortable room while it stormed outside. It’s little things like this that reminded me I was human – and let’s be clear – in the weeks leading up to this – I’d been pushed WELL beyond my breaking point and had literally planned on murdering this junkie on meth who kept threatening me with a knife on a random basis prior to this point, as I was sleeping with one eye opened and police were unable to do anything about it.
Most people don’t understand that being homeless is about as dehumanizing as it gets. Society has a tendency of treating violent offenders better than someone that’s broke and homeless, which in my opinion – pushing me, a peaceful man who has never been in a fight in my life – to the point of premeditated considerations of murder – has homelessness as being one of the biggest existential threats to modern society. If you’ve never been through it. You simply wouldn’t understand.
But that motel. Just for a couple nights. Made me finally swallow my pride, look at the predictable trajectory homelessness was going to take me and what it was going to turn me into…
And finally agree to accept my mom and dad’s offer for a couch to sleep on in a warm house.
Rest assured. That motel room saved someone’s life. I’m being straight up 100% honest with you there. I’d mentally prepared myself to begin taking the law into my own hands, and I was fine knowing I’d never suffer any consequences from it because the needs of homeless people and the poverty stricken, to this society and world – don’t fuckin matter.
To most, anyways. To those few who did care. That room at just the perfect time changed my life, and prevented the death of someone else who society didn’t care about anyways.
I dont like knowing that part of me exists. I scared even myself. So I don’t believe it was coincidence that room came at the perfect time for me.
Is China producing too much? US ‘overcapacity’ accusations: new tactic in economic war
Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup
This Chicken Enchilada Soup recipe is so creamy, thick, and easy to make. Loaded with hearty shredded chicken and beans, it is a crowd-pleasing soup that’s full of your favorite Mexican flavors and very comforting and delicious.
Enchilada soup is one of the most flavorful soup recipes that is not only filling and comforting, but it is full of flavor and a crowd-pleasing soup recipe that will put a smile on everyone’s face. This soup is loaded with beans, chicken, and all the Tex-Mex flavors you love all in one delicious bowl of soup. Easy-to-make Creamy Chicken Enchilada soup is perfect for any night of the week. Especially on a busy weeknight when you need dinner ready in no time.
Reasons to love this soup
- Best-tasting soup ever: The taste of this soup is seriously out-of-this-world good.
- Filling: This soup will keep you full, happy, and satisfied. Perfect for lunch or as a light dinner.
- Healthy and good for you: Packed with fiber and protein, this soup is good for you in every way.
Ingredients you will need
- Butter or Ghee: to keep this on the healthier side, you do not have to use butter. You may use avocado oil.
- Onion: use white sweet onions or cooking onions
- Veggies: Celery Stalks, Carrot, Red Bell Pepper,
- Beans: Red Kidney Beans and Black Beans
- Seasonings: Ground Cumin, Chili Powder, Dried Oregano
- Garlic Cloves: do use fresh garlic
- One can of Diced fire-roasted Tomatoes
- Tomato Paste
- Fresh or Frozen Sweet Corn: you may use canned corn if that’s all you have and you don’t want to make a trip to the grocery store.
- Shredded Cooked Chicken: make your own chicken or get a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken. To prepare your own, check out our post on How to poach chicken breast.
- Low-Sodium Chicken Broth– If you plan to poach your own chicken you may save the broth from that.
- Mexican Shredded Cheese Blend for garnishing, or you may also use Monterey jack cheese
- Salt and pepper, to your taste
- Optional: If you prefer to add some enchilada sauce, you can. We didn’t but it certainly won’t hurt and will add some flavor to the soup.
HOW TO MAKE CREAMY CHICKEN ENCHILADA SOUP
This chicken enchilada soup recipe is made on the stovetop. We will also be showing you further how to make it on your crockpot, slow cooker, and instant pot. Note: Recipe calls for cooked shredded chicken. Either get a storebought rotisserie chicken and use that or cook your own at home using chicken breast (scroll down to learn how to cook the chicken for your enchilada soup).
To make enchilada soup on your stovetop:
- Prepare vegetables and ingredients: Set up all the ingredients and get your shredded chicken ready.
- Cook vegetables: Add butter or oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. First, add the onions, celery, carrots, bell pepper, garlic and cook until softens, about 5-6 minutes. Then, stir in seasonings, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and chicken broth and bring to a boil.
- Cook and prep soup: Lower the heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until veggies are very tender.
- Blend: remove from heat and using a hand blender, blend the soup until smooth and creamy. (This is optional if you don’t want to blend you can skip this step).
- Add beans and chicken: Place the soup back over medium heat and add in beans, corn and shredded cooked chicken. Stir to combine and boil for a couple of minutes, just to heat it all up.
- Serve: Pour into bowls and top with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
SOUP TOPPING Options
Endless toppings to come up with, but here are some optional toppings you can add to your creamy chicken enchilada soup are:
- Chopped avocado
- Sliced jalapeño
- Fresh chopped cilantro
- Green onions
- Lime wedges
- Crushed Tortilla Chips
- Sour cream or yogurt etc.
- Shredded Cheese
How to cook chicken for enchilada soup
Cooking the chicken is quite simple. You can use any pot or a dutch oven. It would be easiest to use a rotisserie chicken but you can certainly cook your own. We recommend using skinless and boneless chicken breasts.
- Add chicken into a pot full of water
- We like adding some sort of herbs to give the chicken some flavor. Use half an onion and a bay leaf. sometimes we use a cinnamon stick but not for this particular recipe.
- Allow boiling for about 15-20 minutes until you easily insert a knife or a fork through the chicken.
- Then, drain it in a colander and let it cool off. Or you can just remove the chicken and place it on a cutting board while you save the chicken stock.
- Finally, using your hands or forks, shred chicken.
- If you have an Instant pot, you can simply make this Instant Pot Chicken Breast to use in this enchilada soup.
How to make enchilada soup using an instant pot, crockpot or slow cooker
There are other ways to make chicken enchilada soup other than using your stovetop. Here are other ways to cook up your soup.
How to use an Instant Pot:
- Using the saute option, add the oil or butter in the instant pot, then add the onions, celery, carrots, bell pepper, garlic and cook until softens, about 5-6 minutes.
- If using raw chicken, add in with the veggies in the previous step at the bottom.
- Add in the seasonings, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and broth.
- Next, add in the beans, corn, and shredded cooked chicken (if using pre-cooked shredded chicken). Stir to combine.
-
Then, place the lid on the Instant Pot and seal. Using the “manual” setting, cook on high pressure for 10-12 minutes.
- Allow the instant pot to natural release for 10 minutes or so before doing a quick release.
- Finally, remove the lid from Instant Pot, shred the chicken (if used raw whole chicken breast), and serve with your favorite toppings.
- Note: You may remove a portion of the soup towards the end. Blend it and then add it back into the soup. Mix and serve.
How to use a crock-pot or slow cooker
- In a pan or skillet, add oil or butter over medium-high heat add the onions, celery, carrots, bell pepper, garlic and cook until softens, about 5-6 minutes.
- Transfer to crockpot or slow cooker and add in the seasonings, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and broth.
- Then, add in beans, corn, and shredded cooked chicken. Stir to combine cover and set it on High for 2 hours or low for 4 hours if using cooked chicken.
- Note: You may add raw chicken breasts to the crockpot or slow cooker right before you add in the veggies at the very bottom and set it to cook longer. 6 hours on low and 4 hours on high. Then towards the end use a fork to shred the chicken.
- Also Note: You may remove a portion of the soup towards the end. Blend it and then add it back into the soup. Mix and serve.
Fun cat pictures
From my archives
Why Pass Port bros find Foreign Women
This time…
Jokes directed at Chinese people are the acceptable form of racism in the west.
Westerners will gaslight and say this isn’t racist! Chinese aren’t people!
This is the first step towards a war of extermination, demonisation of the target nation and gervais shows himself in this video to be a very able agent of the Empire
This time we’re armed
Does Japan even have a “ghost of a chance” against China in a war? China has numerous advantages (Russian/North Korean support, HUGE military, healthy disdain of Japan, etc) and Japan has none of that except to be a prompt for the U.S to use nukes.
Japan despite massive massive disadvantages in firepower, military numbers and culture has a massive chance against China. Why? This man and the general state of the leadership is far too conservative. As well as their age.
If you’ve ever played a game before like Rimworld, 7 days to die, Project Zomboid. There’s a setting called Builder. Here’s the menu on Project Zomboid.
It literally says builder: Construction, Exploration and farming focus.
So sure he’s got 3000 hours in game and all the achievements of that…But it’s a crippling overspecialisation.
Martial arts are sometimes like this.
You need close range, mid range, long range, grapple, strength and conditioning to give and take hits. Wing Chun is excellent at close range, but they never condition themselves so boxers eat them alive. The current leadership are far too conservative as such when there’s easy and obvious ways to punish those who literally want us dead? What the hell do they do?
NOTHING!
Taiwan.
It’s not recognised by the UN, it’s not part of the WTO. The poliburo could immediately stop all business with them tomorrow and there’s NOTHING they could do about it. We could literally cause a 50% collapse in the economy TOMORROW.
Yet they don’t do it.
Even my dad who is actually older than Xi did some squeezing of bollocks in his time. He was a beansprout man and his group held a total monopoly on Chinese goods in the UK and he squeezed a few bollocks with his position.
You can write about oh but it’s only a matter of time.
The USD will collapse! (though the USD doesn’t actually need to collapse it’s in such shit that a few % will make a huge difference, US military budget cuts are a real thing because of the debt).
It sounds almost like Joseph Wang, if you ever read his stuff from years ago? He literally said he allowed white Americans to beat him up and offered no resistant. To somebody like me and many others that’s a what the fuckty fuck type situation? Somebody attacks you? You’re going to give them as good as they give you.
So back to the original question?
If Japan starts to militarise again and they’re doing so right now? There’s going to be a huge aversion to fight and you don’t even need me to spell out whose going to have the aversion.
So while China is far more powerful and many of us especially us overseas types are far far more violent than any local Chinese or Japanese. It’s hampered by the fact that the leadership is playing civilisation on builder mode.
I mean at the very least you could have some big weapons tests. Even N Korean leader Kim has done some test launches.
Putin scares the living daylights out of westerners with his SARMAT tests in 2022.
With Iran attacking Israel, is WW3 all but official?
Hope not
The Strategy is clear
Iran sent 158 Shaheed Drones and 27 Cruise Missiles on Israel at a cost of $ 9 Million
Israel intercepted 150+ Drones over Jordan and Syria and Lebanese and 21 Cruise Missiles at an estimated cost of $ 115 Million
6 Missiles hit the targets – An Airbase in Negev plus two military docking centres in Haifa Port
The cost ratio is 9:115 or 1:13 approximately
Iran is thus depleting Israeli (Western) missiles and AD on a large scale from reserves
Today alone around 100+ Missiles were launched by Israel
This means in 10 days, Israel would need 1000–1200 missiles forcing the West to divert stocks to Israel while Iran has low cost cheap drones and cheap missiles and decoy missiles
If the West spends more and more money and weapons on Israel further depleting their stocks
Russia gains immensely as Russia outproduces NATO by 3:1 in Missiles and 12:1 in Artillery Ammunition
And of course China
The more West is mired in the Middle East, even lesser chance of the West to take on China who can produce on war footing, more missiles in a month than Nato can produce in 2 1/2 years as per experts
Leaving Japan, Philippines to take on China who today can more than easily take them out
Same reason
If this is WWIII, the West will likely lose today
Unless it becomes Nuclear…
Some food porn
You said “watch THE PRINCESS BRIDE.” As you wish!!! | First time watching
A few years ago, when there was talk of possibly doing a remake, Cary Elwes (Westley) tweeted "There is a shortage of perfect movies in the world. It would be a pity to remake this one."
Is the trilateral agreement between the Philippines, the United States, and Japan a threat to China?
You can draw up any shit agreement you want but even a bow an arrow shot from Japan or Philippines at China including Taiwan will be fully and comprehensively reciprocated plus interest to that country it does not matter if it is shot by US military or third dog nation forces.
Who asked you to so foolishly to allow a strange bed fellowinto your home.or allow a trouble maker and a war monger to be stationed in your land! Let that be so vividly clear about this state of affair.
China will let the U.S. burnt all it a cash if it so chooses to set up over next 100 years putting up 200 bases around China but it cannot shoot a single song arrow out of if cares for its dogs. Nations. China will not may be not if it will destroys that nation without hesitation. As alllowing one means allowing more. The Navy boys can part all night long banging local Japanese and Filipino girls for all we care as long as they don’t throw a rock at China!
What’s the strangest thing delivered to your house (that you did not order)?
A friend of mine I England, mentioned one day at the pub( bar) that he could do with a cleaner as his old 1700’s mill house was getting too much for him. Next morning there was a sharp knocking on his door, he opened it and a large Middle aged lady pushed by him into the room and said, “ I’m Jean, your new cleaner, let’s have a look at this mess!” He never had a chance to say a word, just stood there dumb. “ Right , where’s the cleaning cupboard?” He pointed in the right direction. Muttering to herself she set about cleaning , “ I’ll be a long while yet you can make yourself scarce untill supper time. “ He went out back to the pub and sat at the bar in a daze as he nursed his pint of beer. He returned to his house in the evening, everything was clean and tidy, Jean was sat down in the kitchen having a cup of tea. “ Umm, how much do I owe you?” He stuttered. All she said was, “ that garden shed has to be cleared out yet!” I’ll attend to that tomorrow. I’ll be staying in the upstairs front bedroom, breakfast will be at 9 o’clock on the dot! “ With that she climbed the stairs and was gone. That was nearly 5 years ago and she is still there cleaning and cooking. He still hasn’t plucked up the courage to ask her any questions, and she has never asked for anything in return. ’ As he is a literary man I hope one day he will publish the whole story. Amazing!
REACTION- Will women WAKE UP & want the men that they rejected?
9 Uncomfortable lessons that we all need to learn:
- If you continue to wait for the “right time”, you’ll waste your entire life and nothing will happen.
- You’ll lose 99% of your close friends if you start upgrading your life.
- You’ll be 10x happier if you forgive your parents and stop blaming them for your problems.
- Train yourself to let people win arguments on purpose to conserve your mental health.
- You become more mature when you train yourself to take nothing personally.
- You don’t need 100 self-help books, all you need is action & self-discipline.
- You can’t expect honesty from people who even lie to themselves.
- Most people are stuck in toxic relationships because they are afraid to be alone.
- The most difficult mission on earth is to focus on your dreams; The easiest task is to complain.
What is one piece of simple advice that actually changed your life?
My dad made it to almost 94, and died in relatively good health. Fantastic, but old age comes with a high price. Once, after the death of the last of his ten friends who had come together to build their hunt club some sixty years previously, I asked him, point blank, “Dad, how do you stand it? How do you cope with losing all your old friends?”
His answer was, as his answers usually were, short and straight to the point: “You make new friends honey. Young ones.”
It was then that I noticed the number of folks, often the children, grand kids, or great grand kids of those lost friends, who stopped by the house regularly. Dad always liked kids; he kept the now unused ashtray next to his recliner filled with Juicy Fruit gum and Hershey chocolate bars. He admired the new BB gun that a ten year old namesake stopped by to show off. He listened eagerly to tales from many boys’ “first hunt.”
I’ve adopted the philosophy. Many of my friends are in their 30’s and early 40’s: young’uns I mentored their first few years of teaching. I drop off a meal here and there, knowing how tired they are after teaching all day. And I’m rewarded with their kids’ pics and artwork on my fridge. Plus all the free technology help!! I now can use Marco Polo, Audible, Chirp, and Libby, thanks to my “young set.”
Most Companies Don’t Want You To Succeed, They Want You Distracted & Hooked On Their Products
Old Buffalo Breath Chili
Ingredients
- 1 (5 pound) chuck roast, at least 3 inches thick
- 10 to 11 garlic cloves, crushed
- Salt, to taste
- Chili powder
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- About 1 to 2 cups beef broth
- Juice of 1 Mexican lime
- 2 teaspoons ground dried mild red chile, such as ancho or New Mexican
- 2 teaspoons ground dried hot red chile, such as cayenne or chile de arbol
- 1 tablespoon cumin seed, toasted and ground
- 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
- Chiles pequins, to taste
- Masa Harina, as needed
Instructions
- Two or three hours before you plan to begin making the chili, rub the chuck roast well with a mash made from two to three of the garlic cloves and salt. Sprinkle the meat with the chili powder to lightly coat it. Loosely cover it with plastic, and set it aside.
- Light enough hardwood charcoal to sear the meat on an outdoor grill, preferably one with a cover. At the same time, soak a few handsful of mesquite chips in water. When the coals are covered with gray ash, spread them out evenly, and scatter the damp mesquite chips on top. Then immediately set the meat over the smoke, about an inch from the coals. Cover the grill, and adjust the dampers to maintain a slow, steady heat. Let the meat sear for about 12 minutes (this process is meant to flavor, not cook, the meat), and turn it over to sear the other side for the same amount of time. Remove the meat from the heat, saving any juices on its surface, and transfer it to the refrigerator. Let it cool thoroughly, about 1 hour.
- When the meat has cooled, trim away any surface fat or cartilage. With a sharp knife, cube the meat into the smallest pieces you have patience for, saving all the juices.
- Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy Dutch oven over moderate heat. Mix in the remaining garlic, and sauté it until it turns translucent. Stir in the meat and all reserved meat juices, adding just enough beef broth to cover. Pour in the lime juice, and sprinkle in the remaining seasonings, stirring and tasting as you do. Crumble in a few whole chiles pequins to bring the heat up to taste. Turn the heat down as low as possible. Long cooking toughens, not tenderizes, if the chili is allowed to boil. Every half hour or so, stir the chili and taste for seasoning, adjusting as you wish. After the first hour, thicken the chili as you like by adding the Masa Harina a teaspoon at a time. The chili should be ready to eat in 3 hours, although it will benefit from a night’s aging in the refrigerator.
- Serve the chili steaming hot in large, heavy bowls with an ample supply of soda crackers and a side of beans, but not much else except maybe hot black coffee, iced tea or beer.
How might Chinese citizens respond to their government losing an all-out economic/trade war with the United States, especially if they cannot afford to lose?
China don’t do daft things. Only the U.S. does. If China cannot win it won’t fight. If China seems to be up in arms. They are most likely happy that the U.S. took the bait and ate hanging themselves. It is call winning without fighting!
China can do even one NM chips if it wants but the U.S. thinks it cannot do 7 NM for at least 3 decades! It took China 3 years to do 5NM. Now the U.S. is laden with humongous compensations to its Chip firms and they lose some 80% of the market as China gets it done cheaper, faster and better.
Argentina’s Crumbling Economy is Collapsing, GDP CRASHING, Banks are Failing, Protests Everywhere
Learn about what is going on in the world today. This is what happened when you hitch yourself to the United States.
If a car dealer kept my keys or license to try to pressure me to make a purchase, what would police officers do when they show up at the dealership?
I test drove a f350 platinum super crew, was going to trade a vehicle, I left the keys with the salesman, came back, I decided not to buy “that” truck, due to I didn’t want to own another black truck, they had no other loaded trucks in another color, so I opted to take a pass, the sales manager thought we had some imaginary deal and said the deal was done (I had signed nothing), and wouldn’t return my keys, I asked him if he was certain that he wanted to play this game, he said we have a deal. I pulled my phone out, called 911, told them who I was, where I was, I had been robbed and the assailant was still on premises. Shit happened real fast, I got my keys back, sales manager found out he can be criminally charged for theft as well as kidnapping as I couldn’t leave. Yep, I won’t be shopping there again.
Iran has launched drones against Israel which have not yet hit their targets in Israel.
While this may look like a reprisal against Israel, there is more than meets the eye. The majority of the drones will be intercepted and shot down before they reach their targets; if 10% reach their targets the Iranians will have done well.
But the intention is not to do damage to Israel. Iran, the Houthis in Yemen and Hamas are fighting a war of attrition against Israel which will deplete Israel’s and the US’s munitions, using the cheapest weapons needed. The aim is to provoke Israel into committing more violence in Gaza and the West Bank, and turning more of global public opinion against the US and Israel. The Israeli economy will take a heavy hit, and the US will have to provide expensive economic support to Israel because Biden has committed to Israel’s support.
The Arabs and the Iranians have learned: Israel’s war doctrine is based on the application of overwhelming force to win a short war , which is the same as the US. But if the Arabs and Iran turn the conflict into a long war of attrition, the Arabs win.
In every long war of attrition, which includes Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and arguably Ukraine, the US has withdrawn in the end.
A short sharp war requires the application of overwhelming firepower. Overwhelming firepower requires a huge munitions supply and powerful logistics. US weapons stores have been depleted by the war in Ukraine.
The writing is on the wall…
What has your child done that is technically “wrong” but you were proud of them for doing it?
My young son was friends with the 50-something “neighbor guy”. They were real friends. The neighbor gave him a spark plug wrench and let him take the spark plugs out of all the cars in his junk yard. He also let my son “drive” his 1950 pink Cadillac sitting on blocks in a place of honor in the junkyard. He talked to my son about serious things like how to be a good man, why you should wash your hands a lot, the importance of having a place for your tools and putting them where they belonged. My son lacked a father and this neighbor lacked any family at all.
The neighbor got cancer and was going to die. He let my son know it was nothing personal and he had done nothing wrong to deserve it. He also said he was going to have to leave forever, die and he would go to heaven. They talked a lot about whether he was afraid and what would happen when he died. He told my son he didn’t want anybody messing with his body and he wanted to be buried, not embalmed and still be intact. He wanted to go back to the earth in dignity and not be a poisoned pickle in the ground.
Unfortunately, he died just before Thanksgiving, and without a family, there was no one who felt obligated to see to his wishes. In our state, you can only be buried, without embalming, if you are buried within 3 days. The ground was frozen and it was a holiday weekend. No gravediggers could be found so the adults discussed this in the social room. After church, they concluded that man, whom we had all known and valued, would have to be embalmed. My son, who was about 6, overheard this and became outraged!
He pestered one man after another about it. He eloquently argued how sad the man would be about being a poisoned pickle in the ground. My son announced he would go dig the hole himself even if he did not get home in time for pie! He managed to guilt a dozen men, in their best clothing, to go to the graveyard and dig a grave. Also, a Catholic Priest would be doing the services for a “protestant” before anyone went home to eat a turkey.
It was technically “wrong” because he interrupted and pestered adults with great determination. One by one, he effectively MADE them do something that was outside his purview as a child. I didn’t stop him from doing it. I was more than proud of his love and care for his deceased friend.