When I lived in Milford, Massachusetts, my home was next to a state park. It was beautiful; a nice cabin overlooking Lake Pearl. I lived in it with numerous partners. And, of course, my kitty cats.
I would like to relate a nice story.
In this fraction of time, I was living with my girlfriend from Zambia. She was adorable, and was African-African. And I absolutely LOVED THAT about her.
Now one of the big things that carried over from her life in Africa. Now, keep in mind that she was a city / suburban girl. Not a rural girl. But still, Africa did, and still has, some very dangerous critters moving about. From lions, to leopards, to strange and nasty insects.
So, one morning, I was in the kitchen making coffee, and I noticed that there was a spider web near the sink cupboard doors. And in it was a black garter snake. It was maybe 4 inches, 100 cm long. And it was trapped in the web, dangling there.
I found the entire situation really interesting. I thought it was fascinating.
So I yelled to my girlfriend…
“Hey XXXXXX, come in here! You won’t believe this!”
So she came in, and then freaked… FREAKED out!!!!!
I mean she jumped up on the table, and was in hysterics. I was blindsided, and totally surprised. Hopping up and down, shaking her hands. Goosebumps on her arms, and jabbering incoherently.
…
All is good now today. But the reason why I am bringing it up is that I had no clue as to how sensitive this issue was for her. I grew up with snakes. Some were poisonous like rattlesnakes. But I was unprepared for the reaction of people who had to deal with cobras and black mambas.
Know your audience.
Especially, if you are living together.
Word to the wise.
…
Today…
What’s the fastest you’ve wiped a smirk off of someone’s face?
Hit the drive-thru late one night after school and hand the cashier a $20 for my $6 meal. She hands me $4 and closes her window, expecting me to move on.
But I don’t.
I knock on the window and ignore the honking behind me until she opens and asks me what is wrong.
“The change should be $14, not $4.” Even tone, no anger.
She tells me that I gave her a $10 and is fairly adamant. When she begins to close her window I ask if I could speak to her manager.
It’s late; it’s possible that I could have handed her a $10 rather than a $20, but I have a habit that I’ve fallen into because of a similar situation.
I memorize the serial numbers on large bills before I hand them over.
The manager listens to my request for the extra ten, looks at the receipt and notes that the girl had put in $10 as the money submitted. The girl is looking annoyed and has the classic, “I told you so” look on her face.
I ask the manager to look at the top $20 in her drawer and proceed to recite the serial number.
The manager asks me to do that again and I repeat the numbers for her.
The cashier’s face is stuck on shock and awe as I’m given my correct change and an apology before driving on to the next window for my meal.
Andouille Melt
Looking for quick Cajun comfort food? This sandwich melt made with Johnsonville® Sausage offers multiple layers and textures that will perfectly please any palate. The secret to this recipe is the smoked rope sausage, flavored with just the right amount of herbs and spices for an authentic Cajun flavor. Add in some onion, mayonnaise and Cheddar cheese, for a magnificent meal in a matter of minutes!
Prep: 10 min | Cook: 10 min | Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
- 1/2 package JOHNSONVILLE® Andouille Rope Sausage, thinly sliced
- 1 hoagie or sub roll, split in half
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay® Seafood Seasoning
- 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
- Red onion, chopped
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Place roll halves, cut side up on a foil-lined baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and seafood seasoning; spread over cut sides of roll.
- Layer with the sausage, cheese and red onions.
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.
When have you caught someone saying uncomplimentary things about you behind your back? What was said? How did you respond?
I was shopping in an “International” shop common here in the UK. I greeted people in English, and I was commanding my assistance dog in English. I was excited as a part of my family was Polish- and until my great grandmother died, we all spoke Polish in the home. I don’t speak as well as I understand. I have to read things out-loud to understand them (I have to hear the words to understand them). I love Polish food, so I am really grateful that the new Skleps are here.
I heard one of the sales staff say, in Polish “What is that fat Englishwoman doing in here? She doesn’t know anything.” Her friend said “And she brings in that filthy dog. People like her should stay home”. I believe she was referring to my disability.
I did my shopping. At the till, the woman who made the fat Englishwoman comment smiled and said “How was your shopping? It’s hard here for people not Polish.” (in English) and I said in a halting but clear voice, “Moge nie byc Polska ale Jestem grzeczna”. Her face fell and she went pale.
“I might not be Polish, but at least I’m polite.”
Then in very clear English, I said: “Manager, please”
All I said to him was that his staff should not assume that all Angielka (English women) don’t speak Polish, and that his staff had been rude about me in Polish, but I understood them and had been very offended. He was mortified.
Then I turned to the other staff member and said, pointing to my dog, “Ona nie jest Brudna a ona tez nie jest niegrzeczna” – “She’s not filthy and- she’s isn’t rude, either.” The manager turned to them and said “Office”.
I was careful not to let them see my little well-worn Polish-English dictionary, a gift from my precious Ciocia Regina, my Great-aunt and Godmother, who helped me keep Polish culture in my soul, Polish cooking in my kitchen …and Polish words in my mouth!
Pure Bluntness
What’s the worst parenting advice you’ve received?
Our first child was not toilet trainable. We took her to doctor after doctor from age 3 to 6, eventually carrying an x-ray made by the local radiologist. Everyone agreed that poor parenting skills were the problem, though some added that our lovely daughter, who had a BM only when standing or lying down, really enjoyed tormenting us.
One of the last doctors said, “If she were my kid, I’d lock her in the bathroom until she did it on the toilet!”
A few weeks later, a surgeon hundreds of miles from home held up that x-ray and said, “She has a birth defect.” Her lower intestine was positioned in a way that made a BM impossible unless her body was absolutely straight, NOT sitting on a toilet. Surgery fixed that. Thank you, Dr. Hardy Hendren, and RIP.
What office rule made you say “Really?”
Without telling anyone in advance, management had decided to deduct $20 per month on everyone’s paycheques “to help defray the cost of the coffee service” as stated in the note attached to everyone’s cheques; “no exceptions”. I and the others in the office who didn’t drink the company provided coffee (which was about 60%; I was/am a Starbucks addict and brought my own coffee) protested by pouring several cups of coffee a day and just leaving them there untouched.
When management found that coffee expenses almost tripled and why, they canceled the policy. They then put in a pay machine and priced it at $1per cup. Nobody used it because you could get a bigger cup for the same price from the convenience store down the street. Plus productivity dropped a bit as everyone was now going out for coffee. The only time the machine was ever used was by management when they had to pay out of gheir own pockets for coffee to serve to visiting clients.
The machine was soon removed because the company still had to pay a monthly fee, which was more than they were getting back from the machine; and they went back to the original no-charge coffee setup. And of course, productivity went back up.
What career caused you to start hating human beings?
Spend a few months working in retail and you’ll revise your opinion on human beings.
It’s not that everyone who comes into the store is a total A-Hole.
It’s that there’s this bottom 10–20% that you deal with over and over again who talk down to you. They see you as below them, as lowly.
Maturity has this inverted matrix in retail: the older the customer is, the ruder they are.
They’ll yell at you about the prices – like you set those prices and you are getting a piece of the cheese. They’ll yell at you about your store return policies.
In America, most young teens get summer jobs and weekend jobs. It’s a big part of our culture.
The retail experience, despite being rich in assholery, is of great value to a young person because as many of you know – any job you get is going to involve dealing with people you don’t like on a regular basis.
Being thrown into the deep end with a low wage, high frustration job like retail is a great starting point.
It can (hopefully) only get better from there. Ideally, more money. Less assholery.
Certain qualities result in categorization
Have you ever been mugged and had it end badly for the mugger?
I had eye surgery in winter 2019, and had to wear dark glasses (the ones in my pic) for a bit.
My eyesight is terrible anyway, but for a couple of months l could barely see.
One evening, as usual, I was taking a long walk in London – couldn’t run, I’d have been running in to street furniture- for exercise. Earbuds in, listening to music.
A beggar stepped in front if me & said something about money. I put my hand in my pocket, handed him a quid.
He said something about wanting more, l couldn’t really hear him too well over Black Grape, but this pissed me off.
“Fuck off”, I said, “you can have a quid and like it”
“Gimme more. I want all your money”
“You cheeky cunt. Fuck off or I’ll take the quid back and kick your arse” l said.
He made angry gestures and stormed off.
A bloke came up beside me…. “…mate, are you ok?” he said.
“Yeah… why?”
“He had a knife”.
Oh. Not beggar; mugger. I hadn’t seen the knife.
The mugger must have thought I was like Chuck Norris, fronting him out like that.
Good news update
Why did a top Chinese official recently say that the United States will retain unchallengeable global dominance for at least two decades?
My guess is that this article was written as a warning to the new generation of Chinese leadership, set to come into power in 2012. For the new generation coming to power and their followers, who have witnessed China’s transition over a 30 year period from one of the poorest nations in the world to a global power, the worry is that they see limitless opportunities for China. At the same time, they know that China is challenged on the resources front, and feel that the only way out is for China to work to weaken US power, confronting the US not only economically, but also perhaps militarily. This is because they see a narrow window of opportunity in the period between now and 2020, when China’s aging population will serve to slow growth. In their eyes, China must grab the brass ring of global leadership from the US in the next decade; otherwise the opportunity will be gone.
There is some concern that the Chinese military is chafing at the bits, anxious to fan Chinese nationalism over Korea and Taiwan. For the generation now stepping down, this is a warning that the US should not be underestimated, and that it would be foolish to think that the US is either near collapse, or is completely unable to recover from its current challenges.
The situation is very similar to pre-WWI Germany, when a rapidly industrializing Germany felt that its path to global leadership was blocked by Great Britain. The Germans saw Britain as a great power in decline; their over-confidence set the stage for confrontation, first with Britain and France, then with the US. Now, China is occupying the same role Germany did, and the dangers and opportunities are largely the same.
In this context, this article is a warning from the older generation to the younger generation that the US’s power is still great, and will last for another 20 years. The message is that direct confrontation with the US within this timeframe would be disastrous for China because the US is still a leader in many key areas, and has the capability to revive.
Backyard Time Machine: The Time Travel Mystery of Mike “Mad Man” Marcum
Why did China just announce that in the case of an attack, they will support Iran?
To keep the war from escalating.
Israel sees the hand of Iran behind the Hamas Oct 7 attack and is not a farfetch idea that they would use this as justification to attack Iran.
China’s declaration is to remind Israel that there will be consequences if they do make a move on Iran. And having made the warning, this will justify any China’s response to provide support not just to Iran but more overt assistance for the besieged Palestinians in Israel.
Establishment of roles…
What is your craziest high school reunion story?
Not sure that this counts, but its close. I grew up in a small town and I graduated with the same people I was in grade one with. Last year, a friend phoned me up, on Monday, and said Thursday is the 50th anniversary of our graduation. Do you want to go for dinner and drinks with as many of the class as I can get together on Thursday.
I said I would be there, and over half the class made it on such short notice.
Few of us lived in that small town anymore. It was such short notice, because he had been asked to be a speaker, at an upcoming highschool grad, and he had been researching ours for talking points, and saw that it was exactly 50 years ago. Personally I thought it was more like 30, but the calendar doesn’t lie.
Once he saw that he had 3 days to get people together, he got working. Obviously people living in other provinces, couldn’t attend, on 3 days notice, so it was impressive to see so many.
Great times had by all.
How US reaps benefits through decades of military aid, weapon sales to Israel — GT Investigation
Eighteen days have passed since Israel launched its bombardment offensive against the besieged Gaza Strip, following a deadly attack on October 7 by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. The conflict had killed more than 5,000 Palestinians, about 40 percent of which were children, and about 1,400 Israelis as of Monday, according to media reports.
Many countries, including China, have openly called on relevant parties to remain calm, exercise restraint, and immediately end hostilities, to protect civilians and avoid further loss of life.
While the US, in sharp contrast, is actively transporting more lethal weapons to Israel, demonstrating conspicuous support for its “close ally,” as it has done in many previous bloody conflicts in the region.
The US is also the sole vote against a United Nations Security Council resolution on Wednesday that would have condemned Hamas’ attack on Israel while calling for a pause in the fighting to allow humanitarian assistance into Gaza, with 12 members voting in favor and Russia and the UK abstaining.
US President Joe Biden visited Israel on October 18, “putting himself in harm’s way to show that he stands squarely with the country,” according to US media sources. Before his arrival, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed that Israel “has the right to defend itself,” when announcing Biden’s Israel visit.
The US’ unsurprising one-sided support, including its military aid, will likely escalate the already fraught situation between Israel and Hamas, and reduce the likelihood of peace talks between the two sides in the near future. That may lead to further catastrophic loss of life, warned some experts in international relations and Middle East affairs reached by the Global Times.
Heightened tensions
Despite footage of innocent children killed in airstrikes causing a global outcry, the US is sending more arms and ammunition to Israel, intensifying the running gun battle on the ground.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced over the weekend that Washington is sending multiple military ships and the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, “as a show of force to its closest ally in the region,” Al Jazeera reported.
“I have directed the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (CSG) to begin moving to the Eastern Mediterranean…the Eisenhower CSG will join the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, which arrived earlier this week,” read a statement by Austin published on the US Department of Defense website, on October 14. Previously, the US Air Force had announced the deployment of F-15, F-16 and A-10 fighter aircraft squadrons to the region.
Increased US force posturing signals the country’s “ironclad commitment to Israel’s security,” said the statement.
As Israel has an absolute military advantage over Hamas, the US’ military support for Israel is more of a political tool for the Biden administration to demonstrate its allyship to Israel and its domestic politicians, analyzed Chinese observers.
It is in the US’ domestic interests to militarily aid Israel, said Li Weijian, a research fellow at the Institute for Foreign Policy Studies at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies. “Supporting Israel is politically correct in the US, a country with more than 6 million people of Jewish heritage, many of whom make up the core of the US’ political and public opinion power, with positions in major government departments and media outlets,” Li told the Global Times.
“Biden has announced his reelection bid for 2024 presidential elections. Aiding Israel at this moment can bring him more domestic support,” Li said.
Biden is counting on successfully brokering the normalization of Saudi-Israeli relations to boost his performance in the Middle East before the presidential elections in 2024, said Niu Xinchun, a research fellow at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations in Beijing.
However, the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas “may not only sink the deal, but also likely to deal a heavy blow to Biden’s performance in the election,” Niu told the Global Times.
After the conflict broke out, some lawmakers in the US urged Biden to communicate that Israel’s response to Hamas’ attack must limit harm to civilians and adhere to international law. “We write to express our concerns regarding the unfolding humanitarian situation in Gaza,” read the letter to Biden and Blinken, signed by 55 lawmakers.
The letter listed five requests to the Biden administration, including putting pressure on Israel to adhere to international law and helping set up a humanitarian corridor, reported The Hill on October 13.
The US’ one-sided military aid has only served to heightened tensions. Worse still, due to the lack of supervision, US aid to Israel is not transparent enough and is suspected of abetting war crimes, warned observers.
There has been one US politician who caused great controversy due to his Israeli military background.
Brian Mast, a member of the US Congress, with a seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, reportedly arrived to work on October 13 in the uniform of the Israeli military. “As the only member to serve with both the United States Army and the Israel Defense Forces, I will always stand with Israel,” he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that morning.
According to US-based news site Grayzone, Mast previously served in the US military in Afghanistan. He volunteered as a bomb disposal specialist for the Israeli army during its 2014 assault on the Gaza Strip. The assault resulted in the death of 2,202 Palestinians, including 526 children.
“Is it appropriate that someone who has served in a foreign military be allowed to return to the United States and serve on such a sensitive government committee, earning a security clearance along the way?” asked Grayzone.
US ‘always be there’
When speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Blinken promised that the US will “always be there” for Israel, the BBC reported on October 12.
Blinken was not mistaken in his assertion. The US indeed has always been there for Israel for more than 70 years, constantly providing the country with weapons, allowing it to maintain the most powerful militaries in the Middle East, and complementing it with advanced surveillance and weapons.
According to a report published by the Congressional ReAccording to a report published by the Congressional Research Service under the US Congress on March 1, 2023, Israel is the largest cumulative recipient of US foreign assistance since World War II. To date, the US has provided Israel with $158 billion in bilateral assistance and missile defense funding.
In 2016, the US and Israeli governments signed their third 10-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on military aid, under which the US pledged to provide $38 billion in military aid ($33 billion in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) grants plus $5 billion in missile defense appropriations) to Israel, according to the report.
In addition to the $3.8 billion yearly aid as per the MOU, the US also added $98.58 million this year in funding for other cooperative defense and nondefense programs, read the report.
Almost all US bilateral aid to Israel so far has been in the form of military assistance, with some observers noting that the aid is, in fact, a subsidy to the US military industry.
To date, Israel has purchased 50 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters in three separate contracts, funded with US assistance, and has received a total of 36. For the fiscal year 2023, the US Congress authorized $520 million for joint US-Israel defense programs (including $500 million for missile defense).
According to the BBC, $1.6 billion of US military aid to Israel since 2011 was for the country’s Iron Dome short-range anti-rocket, anti-mortar, and anti-artillery system (intercept range of 2.5 to 43 miles). Developed by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and originally produced in Israel, the system was first tested in 2011.
US Pawn
As a US pawn in the Middle East, Israel serves the US’ geographical and defense industry interests. Their decades of special partnership have a historical background known to the whole world, said Li weijian.
Nonetheless, the US continued to support Israel while avoiding the question of Palestinian statehood. “Such a partiality is very unreasonable,” Li said.
“The Israel-Palestine conflict will never be resolved without a solution to the question of Palestinian statehood,” Li said. “It’s Palestine’s right to found a state, and the US should not [have a hand] in it.”
But the US’ goal maybe is never to help achieve a resolution to any conflict, not only the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but every other conflict in the world such as that between Russia and Ukraine.
The US’ response to conflicts is always to escalate the violence instead of encouraging peace. This is because war brings losses and pains to most countries and regions in the world, but the US is one of the few that can exploit the conflict for sickening profits.
Take a look at the performance of US defense stocks this week. The nearly 9 percent rise in Lockheed Martin’s stock on Monday was the biggest for the largest US defense contractor on a non-earnings day since March 2020. Northrop Grumman shares also had their best day since 2020.
On a recent earnings call, executives of US defense giant Lockheed Martin highlighted the Israel and Ukraine conflicts “as potential drivers for increased revenue in the coming years,” according to a CNN article on October 18.
The US’ military support policy to Israel, as well as to other countries or regions, is always out of realistic consideration and aimed to serve the US’ own global strategic needs, experts pointed out.
Instead of contributing to the maintenance of world peace, the US has continued to fuel the escalation and continuation of various conflicts so as to bring fortunes to its military-industrial complex, but it comes at the expense of people’s lives. But the approach of relying on wars to get enough orders is dangerous to the world. The world cannot afford to allow them to continue making profits from misfortunes in other countries and regions, experts noted.
Guys are afraid…
This is the West today. Damn! I’m glad that I am older and live in China.
What are the lessons people most often learn too late in life?
There are certain life lessons people only learn while dying.
Have you heard of an old Japanese folktale called “The Story of Red Ogre and Blue Ogre”?
Long ago, beyond the woods, through the forests and the pass, in the deep mountains of Japan, there lived ‘Aka-Oni’; a red Ogre, and ‘Ao-Oni’, a blue Ogre. The red Ogre liked human children very much and he was always thinking about how he could make friends with them everyday.
The Red Ogre wanted to become friends with children in a village nearby. So, the Red Ogre invited the children to come to his house to play.
But no one showed up, and the red ogre grew puzzled, sad, and angry. “I’m such a kind ogre – why would nobody visit me?”
Moved by his friend’s feelings, the Blue Ogre said, “Look, I have a plan.”
The Blue Ogre’s plan was for him to pretend to terrorize children and then have the red ogre chase him off, “rescuing” them from him. The plan went without a hitch, and the red ogre became the most popular creature among the children, and all came to play with him.
After a happy day of enjoying the children’s company, the Red Ogre found a letter from the Blue Ogre. The letter said, “My Dear Red Ogre, if people find out that you are a friend of the Bad Blue Ogre’s, they will not let the children come to you any more. So, I’m leaving. Please live happily with the children. Goodbye. Blue Ogre.”
The Red Ogre cried out, “Blue Ogre is gone! A dear friend of mine! He is gone!” And he wept.
The Red Ogre and the Blue Ogre were never to see each other again.
Be honest with yourselves, how many of you, while attempting to reach that unattainable goal, to overcome that insurmountable obstacle, lose sight of what truly matters?
Unlike a children’s folktale, real life sheds no light on “the moral of the story”. People take an entire life’s time to figure it out — when it’s simply too late.
Famous last words — I wish I didn’t work so hard. I could have used that time to spend with my family, to watch my children grow up, to count each additional strand of silver hair on my spouse’s head…
It is one of the most common regrets of the dying. Only when one is on the very verge of death, when the Grim Reaper himself casts a long black shadow over his bed, does he have the clarity of thought to realize that he cares more about his families and friends than any amount of money or success.
So the next time you have dinner with your loved ones, for ONCE, put down the phone. That call can wait. That email can wait.
Don’t be that person. Don’t be that guy who is lying on his deathbed, choking back pangs of guilt and remorse, trying to utter one last “I love you.”
People who grew up poor and are now in a higher social class, what are the biggest or most surprising differences you’ve noticed?
We own 3 cars and none of them work.
Mom’s has some sort of pump problem. My old car is leaking gasoline. My new* one won’t start.
We took my old car (affectionately named “Clif”) to the car doctor and were informed that it’d cost $850 to repair it.
Mom’s will cost upwards of $1,300. We’re waiting to hear on the new car.
Normally this would be stressful.
I’d be freaking out about how we’re going to get cars to run because holy shit how will we go anywhere? How will we travel for Thanksgiving? How will we get groceries?
But when I heard the news, I shrugged.
Not happy about it, obviously, but… We’ll get it. It doesn’t worry me all that much.
Which is weird.
Because these are the sorts of roadblocks (no pun intended) that can crash people’s finances. Having to drop $2k+ that you weren’t expecting? That’s brutal.
But when you’re financially stable — when you make more per month than you need to cover your expenses — suddenly car troubles are a hiccup, an inconvenience, and not a cataclysmic disaster.**
What well-off people don’t understand is the stress of not having money.
It’s pervasive. It keeps you up at night.
How will I pay for groceries? Will I have to walk this month since I can’t afford gas? What if I get sick — how will I pay for that?
It can be hard to focus on work or school when you’re constantly worried about whether or not you can eat.
And events like having your car shit out—
Can destroy you.
I hear rich people say shit like “You need to stop thinking so much about money and think more about higher ideals.”
I’m like, cool, okay. Let me know when those higher ideals can pay my rent.
You just don’t realize how much time you spend stressing about money until you have it.
That’s why I call BS on anyone who says “Money can’t buy happiness.”
No, perhaps it can’t.
But it buys food.
And not having to worry about buying food—
That’s happiness.
*By “new” car, I mean a 2001 Nissan Pathfinder. Bought it from a friend. Don’t want to give off the vibe that I’m rolling in money to buy new cars here.
**I also want to be clear — I’m not, like, sitting on thousands of dollars at the moment. My mom and I are working together to come up with the money (and it’ll probably involve putting something on a credit card). But that we can even consider coming up with that money in a relatively short period of time is what’s stress-reducing.
Update: The new car requires $5K in repairs. Sigh.
US Retreats UNGA Defeat; No Gaza Displacement; China Cools Xi-Biden Summit; Dagestan; Avdeyevka
While Americans may get excited about each change in Presidential administrations or which party controls Congress, it is important to understand that other nations have memories and attention spans, and that American policy and actions are mostly the same no matter which party or president is in power.
What is the kindest thing a pet has done for you?
My parent’s cat hated me from the day I was born. She would hiss at my cradle and couldn’t be left in the same room as me.
When I got older, she treated me with more mild contempt, but she’d never let me pet her.
Fast forward to when I was 5. I went to the kitchen to get something and the door closed itself behind me. Somehow the lock wedged itself shut. I was trapped. I was scared. I started panicking and crying. My mum was upstairs out of ear shot. But the cat was in the room adjacent to the kitchen. She saw me crying.
She ran off. Typical.
But – she in fact ran upstairs to my mum who was on the phone and bit her. While my cat was always mad, she never bit anyone before. She then ran back downstairs and my mum followed her to find me trapped in the kitchen. She was like my very own buddy.
We were bros ever since.
Lasting Peace
The three-day 10th Beijing Xiangshan Forum entered its second day on Monday with a keynote speech delivered by General Zhang Youxia, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, who invited all parties to implement the Global Security Initiative to achieve the theme of the forum, “Common Security, Lasting Peace,” and urged countries to make efforts to eliminate war chaos amid the Russian-Ukraine and the Palestine-Israel conflicts.
The Chinese military expects all parties to make joint efforts to continuously deepen security mutual-trust and optimize security architecture, enhance security governance together, promote security cooperation pragmatically and implement the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, build a global community of shared future and inject more certainty, stability and positive energy into a tumultuous and intertwined world, Zhang said.
Humanity has entered the 21st century in which hegemony and Cold War mentality are greatly out of accord with the times and not winning people’s hearts, as people with conscience from all over the world are expecting peace, development, cooperation and win-win, Zhang said.
However, some countries insist on a zero-sum mentality in which one side must lose for the other to win, adhere to the law of the jungle, practice bloc politics and promote unilateralism that builds up walls, filling the world with the shadows of war and humanitarian disasters, Zhang said. “If you are full of hostility, there will surely be competition everywhere. If you only care about your own benefits, all shall become your opponents. If you keep suppressing others, conflicts and wars around the world will definitely arise.”
Against the background of the Russian-Ukraine and the Palestine-Israel conflicts, Zhang urged all countries to make efforts to eliminate war chaos, as he accused a certain country of intentionally creating turbulence, intervening in regional affairs, interfering in others’ internal affairs and plotting color revolutions, as wherever this country goes, peace and tranquility stay away.
“[Certain country] even sets up pegs everywhere and intentionally creates many geopolitical contradictions, pretending to be fair in stopping a fight but actually helping one side, making regional situations become complex and difficult to resolve. It also provides weapons and triggers proxy wars so it can reap the spoils of victory without lifting a finger,” Zhang said.
Zhang stressed that the Chinese military will never tolerate and will be relentless against anyone who dares to split Taiwan from China in any way.
The senior military leader pointed out that the Chinese military is a firm force in safeguarding world peace and defending territorial sovereignty.
To achieve “Common Security, Lasting Peace,” China is willing to implement the Global Security Initiative together with all parties, and make efforts to build a friendly and peaceful new era far away from conflicts, Zhang said.
Global Times
Creole Submarine Sandwich
Ingredients
Creole Mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper
- 4 to 6 drops hot pepper sauce
Sandwich
- 1 large loaf crusty French bread, about 2 feet long
- 1 pound thinly sliced smoked ham
- 4 large Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
- 1 pound thinly sliced salami
- 1 large red onion, very thinly sliced
- 1 pound thinly sliced roast beef
- 1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce
Instructions
Creole Mayonnaise
- Stir together all ingredients in a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
Sandwich
- With a bread knife, cut lengthwise along French bread, splitting it open without slicing all the way through. With your fingers, pull out about a 1 inch depth of bread all along both sides of loaf.
- Generously spread both sides with the Creole Mayonnaise.
- Evenly layer ham on bottom half and top with tomatoes.
- Then layer salami and top with onion.
- Finally layer beef and top with lettuce.
- Close top and press securely shut.
- Cut into either 4 or 6 sections depending upon how hungry you are.
Stages in men’s life
This is as real as it gets.