Been a cleaning up fireworks debris from the house porch, and tidying up for the new year. I’m tightening up things, sweeping and cleaning up things and working to settle a calmer life by clearing out the debris of the last.
Let’s all have a great new year!
Yay!
Politics back in the day…
Why talk to the dog, when you can talk with the master?
What Is It Like To Become Poor After Being Wealthy?
The global financial crisis destroyed me in 2008. The years immediately after were some of the worst years of my life. I lost everything; or at least I thought I did.
As it turns out, I didn’t lose much at all (assuming you don’t count approximately $3 million in real estate equity and a couple of hundred thousand dollars in cash, as “much”).
I was in Vegas when Lehman Brothers folded… It was my birthday … and it was the first time I’d ever lost big there. I should have known something wicked was coming, but I didn’t. So when my consulting contract didn’t get renewed, I didn’t panic. I kept doing business as usual. When my tenants defaulted on rent, I kept paying mortgages. A year later, I still had $50,000 plus in the bank … enough of a cushion.
I suppose at this time I should make you aware that I was not exactly a low-profile person. I was (and am) in luxury goods and hospitality, and I consulted with companies catering to high-net worth individuals. I helped them design sales and business strategies to keep their clients happy in the short and long term. Needless to say, the luxury sector was massacred, and is still clawing its way out of the muck and mire, at least in the United States.
So, with enough money to float for six to ten months, I kept looking for work in my field.
And looking, and looking … nothing.
Any kind of business consulting … nothing. (Six more months go by).
Any kind of sales … nothing. (Six more months … This was where it got scary).
Waiting tables, bar-tending, limo driving, grocery bagging … ANYTHING!
Nope.
Bear in mind that up until this point, I had never even gone a month without a job since I was 12 years old.
My confidence was shot – I mean decimated. I was a shell of the man I had been only two years previously.
I had the stink of failure all over me.
A friend of mine owned a couple of car-washes. He offered me a job. It was outside work, taking orders when people drove in to the wash. “Would you like the undercarriage done?”
It was winter in Colorado.
I declined.
I was sharing a huge house at the time with my best buddy and his new girlfriend, who became his fiancé, and we were ALL broke. It was brutal. I don’t think I would have made it without them. I was depressed and miserable. I’m lucky they didn’t bury me in a snow bank and leave me there. I’m sure there were times they wanted to.
“Cocky” doesn’t do failure well.
My buddy with the car-wash called again a few weeks later. I said no again. Not just because of the embarrassment. Not just because of the cold weather and the elements, or standing on my feet for 10 hours a day on concrete without Wi-Fi.
It was because of my father.
Almost every good father has a catch phrase that he uses to motivate his sons to do better than he did. Typically, it’s the threat of being stuck doing any minimum-wage job that no teenager from the Gekko era would ever aspire to. For some reason, the example that my father chose was “car wash”. We’d go through Towne Auto Wash after Little League and he’d always point to that guy who asks, “Do you want a regular wash, or deluxe?” and then hands you that little piece of paper.
“Mickey” He’d say. “You have to save some money/get better grades/quit chasing girls/do your homework. You don’t want to end up like that guy, working in a car-wash, do you?” The last time I heard the speech was around 1996. The words, however, hung in the air for years to come.
So, you can see my quandary. To me, working in a car-wash was the ultimate admission of failure. Not losing all my assets. Not selling my watches and cars. Not letting go of a few rugs and some art.
I was living with friends, driving a 17-year-old car, had less than $200 in the bank with no idea where the next $200 was coming from, and I was worried about being seen as a failure.
A little deluded?
Perhaps, but reality kicked in when I didn’t have money for a niece’s birthday present.
So I called my friend back and asked if I could still have the job at the car-wash. My utter failure as a human being was complete, my humiliation final -or so I thought.
On my third day of dragging myself in to work, the raven-haired stunner that I’d hired as my assistant five years previous pulled in – driving a brand new Lexus.
NOW my humiliation was complete.
There was nowhere to run, no place to hide.
And yet … just as I was about to die from shame, something happened that literally changed my life. She smiled, jumped out of her car, pointed her Louboutins right at me, ran over and gave me a hug. We chatted for about 10 minutes while her car was getting done. She said she was happy to see me, that I’d been a great boss, and that she was glad I was working. “Sooooo many” of her friends(able-bodied twenty-somethings) were unemployed, and at least I wasn’t trapped behind a desk.
I realized that I’d been beating myself up needlessly, and saw how lucky I truly was.
In that instant, I decided that instead of just showing up until I could find something better, I would use all my skills to increase my friend’s business, and I did. Over the next few months, something amazing happened to me. Something I never saw coming, and something that impacted my life and made me a better man.
I saw hundreds of people every day and none of them thought I was a failure, and it energized me. I smiled. They smiled back. I was happy and engaging, and I sold about a gazillion deluxe washes. But also, my worst fear morphed into something I started to look forward to. I got my confidence back, and it was obvious. I saw DOZENS of people I knew – clients, old customers, friends I’d lost touch with, and every single one of them said something positive.
They respected me.
They held me in higher esteem for seeing me in the cold, wearing a red nylon jacket with a car wash logo on it. Nobody made fun of me or called me names. Nobody laughed.
There was even an article in a local lifestyle magazine about me.
They respected me for doing what had to be done (I’m sure a few were secretly happy that I’d been taken down a few pegs … but hey, we’re all human, right?)
The truth of my situation was laid bare for the world to see … there’s no way to spin a story when you are asking people if they want the basic or deluxe wash. There’s no amount of charm of polish or bullshit that can hide the truth.
I was working in a car wash – and nobody thought I was a failure. Not even my father.
Then, about 6 months later, one of my old clients called. He needed some help setting up a new luxury club. We put a deal together and when I resigned from the car-wash, my friend was genuinely sad, saying I was the best employee he’d ever had.
I approached that new consulting contract with a vigor and zest for life I hadn’t felt for years! A few months after that, another contract took me to Asia, and I’ve been consulting over here ever since.
So, my worst fear turned out to be my salvation.
It gave me confidence, paid my bills for a while and put me in a position to move my company to Asia and have access to an abundance of new cultures and growing markets.
Sure, I’m not quite back to where I was that day 9 years ago in Vegas, but I have a red nylon jacket with a car wash logo on it that reminds me that for my version of success, I don’t have to be.”
– Michael Aumock
The US Dares Not Fight With China, Why?
A very good video.
Its a dangerous time we are living in. On the one side, you have the US, who believes they are entitled to rule the world, for eternity. On the other side, you have rising China, Russia and India - China being the closest rival. The issue moving forward is whether the human race have learnt the lessons from WW1 and WW2. If we haven't learnt anything, then we are destined to repeat it, until all of us are destroyed. Lets hope sanity prevails and we find a way to co-exist and prosper, regardless of our differences.
Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 3 1/2 Foster Farms Simply Raised™ Free Range Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 2 green onions, diced
Brown Chicken Stew
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon of hot sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons browning sauce
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 small red or green bell peppers, sliced
- 1 to 2 cups water
Instructions
- Place chicken in a resealable bag and season with salt and pepper. Then add the chicken bouillon powder, ginger, garlic, white pepper, thyme, paprika and green onions. Seal the bag and thoroughly mix chicken until they are well coated. Set aside in the fridge and marinate for at least an hour or preferably overnight.
- When ready to cook, remove the chicken from the bag. Make sure to remove any particles like the onions and garlic so they do not burn when cooking.
- Heat a large pot with the oil over medium-high heat.
- Brown the chicken for about 3 to 4 minutes per side until chicken is a golden brown; remove and place on a plate. Drain any excess oil from the skillet but make sure to leave about 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil.
- Deglaze the pan with about 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil and return the chicken back to the pan. Add the second cup of water if you find there is not enough water.
- Cover and cook on medium to low heat for about 20 minutes, until chicken the chicken has cooked through and the sauce thickens, slightly. Adjust the taste adding more salt as necessary.
- Serve with Caribbean Rice and Peas or white rice.
Recipe source: Evs Eats
Very Interesting
Cuban Picadillo
Ingredients
- 1 pound 90% lean ground pork
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 cup white onion, chopped
- 2 cups new potatoes, cooked, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
- 1 1/4 cups tomatillo salsa
- 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 1/4 cup queso fresco, crumbled
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet; add onion and sauté for about 5 minutes.
- Add ground pork, breaking into crumbles with the back of a spoon and turning frequently until browned on all sides.
- Add potatoes, salsa and corn; stir and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until heated through.
- Fold in cilantro and sprinkle with cheese.
- Serve immediately.
WOW! Just . . . WOW! The truth comes out in Germany over Ukraine
A legislator in the German Bundestag addressed the House today regarding the effort to supply German tanks to Ukraine, to use against Russia.
Holy Sh*t did he strike a nerve; other Legislators openly gasped in horror!
Watch the 30 second video with translation below:
The Point: Are China and the U.S. going down the rabbit hole?
Splendid Vintage Snaps Of Young Girls With Very Big Hair In The 1980s
The 1980s can be categorized as a decade of excess. The new generation of young people placed a heavy emphasis on individuality, materialism and consumerism, all of which was reflected in the popular fashions and hairstyles of the time. As usual, the music, television and, for the first time, computer industries played a prominent role in determining what styles and trends took off across the country.
While certain hair styles, such as androgyny, voluminous locks, long hair on men and the Jheri Curl were all born during the previous decade, the looks became more exaggerated and more extreme during the 1980s. When it came to hair, bigger was always better.
In the mid-1980s, rising pop star Madonna also had big hair when posing for Time Magazine photographed by Francesco Scavullo. Soon, many women emulated her look, making her one of the most iconic celebrities in 1980s fashion.
Chinese scholars…
thought I’d add this chart from PISA( program of International Student Assessment) to add some perspective.
the US isn’t even mentioned, that should tell you something.
Caribbean Roast Chicken with
Pineapple and Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, giblets and neck removed
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Caribbean Jerk Seasoning spice mix
- 3 fresh limes
- 8 sprigs cilantro
- 1 (20 ounce) can chunk pineapple, drained reserving 1/2 cup of liquid
- 3 sweet potatoes, cut into 2-inch chunks
- 1/4 cup dark rum (or chicken stock)
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In small bowl, combine brown sugar and jerk seasoning. Rub mixture all over outside of chicken. Cut one lime into quarters; insert into chicken cavity. Add cilantro sprigs to chicken cavity. Place chicken in roasting pan and surround with pineapple chunks. Place in oven and roast for 45 minutes.
- While chicken is roasting, juice two remaining limes. Remove chicken from oven; add sweet potatoes, rum, chicken stock and lime juice to pan. Return to oven and roast for another 45 minutes to one hour, or until internal temperature in thickest part of the thigh reaches 180 degrees F.
- Remove chicken from oven and place on sheet pan. Tent with foil to keep warm. Remove pineapple and sweet potatoes from pan and reserve. Pour sauce in pan into serving dish; add chopped cilantro.
- To serve, carve chicken or place whole chicken on platter. Surround with sweet potato/ pineapple mixture and pass with sauce.
Japan building new island base to guard against China
Japan has decided to start construction of a military base on Mageshima Island, a project that aims to reinforce Japan’s defenses in the nearby Ryukyu Islands and provide a backup airbase in case an enemy attack takes out Okinawa, according to multiple Japanese sources.
Mageshima, an eight square kilometer uninhabited island located 12 kilometers from inhabited Tanegashima Island, was chosen in 2011 as a candidate for relocating US field carrier landing practice, which is currently conducted on Iwoto Island, 1,200 kilometers south of Tokyo.
Construction work began last Thursday (January 12) and is expected to continue for four years, with reported plans to install two runways, a control tower and an explosives depot. Nippon.com mentions that apart from hosting US carrier landing practice runs, Mageshima will serve as a supply and maintenance hub for the defense of the Nansei Islands.
Asia Times has noted the strategic importance of small islands, as they have a “suction effect” on great powers because they can be logistics staging points, protective barriers, forward operating bases and geographical markers to extend maritime claims.
Mageshima is no exception. In a March 2022 newsletter for the Taiwan-based think tank Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR), Yen Hung-Lin underscores the island’s strategic importance.
Yen notes that Mageshima is located northeast of the Ryukyu Islands, which China’s naval vessels must pass through to reach the Pacific Ocean. He also says that Mageshima is an uninhabited island, which reduces concerns about aircraft noise and safety.
Furthermore, Yen mentions that Mageshima has flat terrain, which makes airfield construction easier. Moreover, Yen notes that the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) only have a limited number of bases in the Nansei Islands and that the completion of Mageshima will enable Japan and the US to conduct a defense in depth against China.
Japan’s plans to set up Mageshima as an island airbase may also be part of a larger military strategy. In an April 2022 article for Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI), Felix Chang notes that Japan’s island bases point toward a strategy intended not only to stop China from taking over the Senkaku Islands but also to frustrate its larger naval ambitions.
Asia Times has previously reported on Japan’s plans to base long-range cruise missiles on its Southwest Islands and Kyushu to improve its counter-strike capabilities against China. Given that, Japan may also opt to base long-range missiles on Mageshima.
Meanwhile, the US may seek to place its long-range missiles on Mageshima. Asia Times has reported on US plans to build a “missile wall” in the First and Second Island Chains.
This strategy is based on the perceived advantages of land-based missile launchers, which include increased survivability compared to ship-based systems, the ability to provide a constant presence in contested areas, and an attack on land-based missile launchers on allied territory marks a significant escalation of hostilities.
The joint Japan-US basing project on Mageshima also likely aims to reinforce the US basing posture in the Pacific. In an April 2021 article for War on the Rocks, Wallace Gregson and Jeffrey Hornung note that Japan is no longer the sanctuary it was for US forces, as China and North Korea have developed long-range strike capabilities and satellite surveillance technologies that threaten US and allied forces stationed in the region.
An October 2022 documentary by ABC News shows that in the event of a Taiwan-China war, China would most likely initiate a pre-emptive missile strike on the military base at Okinawa, aiming to destroy US and Japan airpower on the ground.
Given that threat, Gregson and Hornung note that the US must harden its facilities against attack, disperse and distribute forces across a wider area and improve missile defense capabilities. Thus, the Japan-US base on Mageshima may be a logical step in that direction.
However, some parties have expressed reservations over military construction at Mageshima. In an August 2021 editorial, The Asahi Shimbun mentions that noise from military activity on Mageshima will impact daily life on nearby islands.
In addition, the editorial notes that construction work will significantly impact water quality, marine life and fisheries around the area, depending on whether the project will involve land reclamation.
It also says that the Japanese Ministry of Defense (MOD) has withheld concrete details about the project and only released an environmental assessment on January 12.
The Mainstream Media Admits That We Are Facing “The Worst Food Crisis In Modern History”
People on the other side of the planet are dropping dead from starvation right now, but most people don’t even realize that this is happening. Unfortunately, most people just assume that everything is fine and dandy. If you are one of those people that believe that everything is just wonderful, I would encourage you to pay close attention to the details that I am about to share with you. Global hunger is rapidly spreading, and that is because global food supplies have been getting tighter and tighter. If current trends continue, we could potentially be facing a nightmare scenario before this calendar year is over.
Pakistan is not one of the poorest nations in the world, but the lack of affordable food is starting to cause panic inside that country. The following comes from Time Magazine…
Last Saturday in Mirpur Khas, a city in Pakistan’s Sindh province, hundreds of people lined up for hours outside a park to buy subsidized wheat flour, offered for 65 rupees a kilogram instead of the current, inflated rate of about 140 to 160 rupees.
When a few trucks arrived, the crowd surged forward, leaving several injured. One man, Harsingh Kolhi, who was there to bring a five kg bag of flour home for his wife and children, was crushed and killed in the chaos.
We are seeing similar things happen all over the planet.
Just because you still may have enough food to eat doesn’t mean that everybody else is okay.
In fact, things have already gotten so bad that even CNN is admitting that we are facing “the worst food crisis in modern history”…
Yet the world is still in the grips of the worst food crisis in modern history, as Russia’s war in Ukraine shakes global agricultural systems already grappling with the effects of extreme weather and the pandemic. Market conditions may have improved in recent months, but experts do not expect imminent relief.
That means more pain for vulnerable communities already struggling with hunger. It also boosts the risk of starvation and famine in countries such as Somalia, which is contending with what the United Nations describes as a “catastrophic” food emergency.
Sadly, it isn’t just in Somalia where the food crisis has reached “catastrophic” proportions.
According to Reuters, the entire continent is now dealing with the worst food crisis that Africa “has ever seen”…
Across Africa, from east to west, people are experiencing a food crisis that is bigger and more complex than the continent has ever seen, say diplomats and humanitarian workers.
Please go back and read that statement again.
Do you remember all those years when Sally Struthers was begging us to feed the starving children in Africa?
Well, the truth is that conditions are now far worse than when she was making those commercials.
At one hospital in Somalia, grieving mothers are regularly bringing in very young children that have literally starved to death…
“Sometimes mothers bring us dead children,” said Farhia Moahmud Jama, head nurse at the paediatric emergency unit. “And they don’t know they’re dead.”
Weakened by hunger, camp residents are vulnerable to disease and people are dying due to a lack of food, said Nadifa Hussein Mohamed, who managed the camp where Isak’s family initially stayed.
“Maybe the whole world is hungry and donors are bankrupt, I don’t know,” she said. “But we’re calling out for help, and we do not see relief.”
UN officials are doing what they can to help, but the truth is that they are being absolutely overwhelmed by the scope of this crisis.
Over the past 12 months, the number of Africans that are dealing with “acute food insecurity” has absolutely exploded…
The number of East Africans experiencing acute food insecurity – when a lack of food puts lives or livelihoods in immediate danger – has spiked by 60% in just the last year, and by nearly 40% in West Africa, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).
Sadly, a lot of Americans are simply not going to care about what is going on over there as long as we have enough food over here.
Of course food supplies continue to get tighter on our side of the planet as well.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, our corn harvest this year was the smallest in 15 years…
Last year was a bad year for corn — the latest US Department of Agriculture (USDA) report shows drought conditions and extreme weather wreaked havoc on croplands.
USDA unexpectedly slashed its outlook for domestic corn production amid a severe drought across the western farm belt. Farmers in Nebraska, Kansas, and Texas were forced to abandon drought-plagued fields.
The agency estimated farmers harvested 79.2 million acres, a decline of 1.6 million acres versus the previous estimate — the smallest acres harvest since 2008.
That wouldn’t be so bad if our population was still the same size that it was back in 2008.
Other harvests have been extremely disappointing too, and that is one of the factors that has been steadily driving up food prices.
At this point, the average U.S. household is spending 72 more dollars on food per month than it was at this same time a year ago…
As inflation continues to decimate the budgets of American families, the December report from Moody’s Analytics showed that families are spending an estimated $72 more on food per month than they were a year ago.
That figure is pulled out of a report that says the typical US household is shelling out $371 on goods and services more than they were a year ago.
In particular, the price of eggs has gone completely nuts.
I recently came across an article about one small business owner that is now paying three times as much for eggs as she once did…
It just seems like the cost of everything is going up these days and that includes egg prices, which are affecting local businesses. “We used to buy 15 dozen eggs from Sam’s for 23 dollars. They are now 68 dollars,” said Cindy Gutierrez, the owner of Creative Cakes. “Now it’s about 63-ish for 15 dozen and it’s also hard to get 15 dozen,” said Caitlyn Wallace, the owner of Catie Pies.
The prices for eggs have surged three times their original price. According to the consumer price index, egg prices increased by 10% in October 2022 and that increase has continued to rise. This is causing a domino effect for restaurants, businesses, and bakeries who use eggs.
Economic conditions are changing so rapidly now, and nothing will ever be quite the same again.
As we move forward, the widespread use of “beetleburgers” is one of the “solutions” that the global elite are starting to push…
Beetleburgers could soon be helping to feed the world, according to new research. The creepy crawlers’ larvae — better known as mealworms — could act as a meat alternative to alleviate hunger worldwide. The process uses a fraction of the land and water and emits a smaller carbon footprint in comparison of traditional farming.
To make this a reality, French biotech company Ynsect is planning a global network of insect farms, including nurseries and slaughterhouses. A pilot plant has already been been set up at Dole in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comte region of France.
Doesn’t that sound yummy?
Of course these “beetleburgers” will just be a drop in the bucket.
No matter what the global elite try, they will not be able to stop “the worst food crisis in modern history” from getting a whole lot worse.
So I would encourage you to stock up while you still can.
Global food supplies are getting a little bit tighter with each passing day, and I have a feeling that 2023 will have lots of “unexpected surprises” for all of us.
Helmet
These Fairytale Felted Houses For Cats Are A Must Have
It’s likely that if you’re a cat owner your feline companion(s) will have a favorite bed, house or spot to sit, sleep and play in. If you feel that maybe their existing love spot is getting a bit tattered and battered, and your cat wouldn’t be traumatized by a replacement, maybe you might be interested in upgrading to one of these awesome fairytale houses! Created by Yuliya Kosata from Ukraine, the felted houses come in a huge range of designs and color schemes. Take a look below to find out more and see what you think!
The Craziest Interrogation You’ll Ever See
Three hours of real-deal madness. Jesus H. Christ!
https://youtu.be/B2WVEla34Tk
If China had to defend against a US invasion and could pick 1 nation who would fully back them, what country would be their best choice?
China don’t need any help. First China will do everything the U.S. do. It if invade China. Then China would invade the US. It will reciprocate equally. You kill a million Chinese they will kill a million Americans. You drop a nuke in Shanghai they will drop a nuke in New York.
They will wiped off all the 12 aircraft carriers within a day. Everywhere in the world. If the bomber comes from Japan. God help Japan. There are at least a hundred and fifty countries out of the 195 nations that will volunteer to do shit on US, UK and its fellow parasite nations.
But China need no one.
3 Women Describe What’s It Like To Be Ugly In A Superficial World
1. I’m not a pretty woman and it shows in everyday life and it hurts.
As much as being hit on and catcalled is scary and I’m SO sorry to those it happens too, I get the opposite. All I ever see are posts on being catcalled and I just wanna talk about my experiences. I get moo’d at and barked at like a dog and vomit noises. We have a creepy old regular where I work that’s calls all the girls beautiful but is disgusted by me and has made negative comments on my appearance and literally told me to get out of his field of vision.
People act super awkward and their eyes dart all over the place trying to avoid making eye contact when I talk to them. Other times people are just straight up MEAN and dismissive of me, but treat everyone else with respect.
I’ve been bullied and called ugly my whole life. Ever since I was 5 years old. Kids singled me out and were mean, and even the moms in my Girl Scout troop treated me differently.
I remember in high school these two guys were sitting behind me and one just loudly asked the other if he would fuck me. The answer was a loud resounding “HELLLLL NAWWWW.” Of course if the answer had been the opposite, anyone would be creeped out and feel unsafe, but this moment still sticks with me and hurts for some reason.
I’m physically in shape now but my face is just fucking weird. It’s so unsymmetrical and disproportionate and you can see every single little blood vessel in my face and I have genetic dark circles I can’t seem to conceal. Even with regular dentist appointments and good dental hygiene, I just have shit teeth that crack and break. My forehead is huge and I have a double chin that won’t go away and my eyebrows are wildly different from each other. My nose has been broken twice so you can only imagine what that looks like now.
I don’t take selfies. I hate pictures of myself and even still it hurts how friends and family don’t want to take any pictures with me. I do have a son and the whole reason I spiraled into typing this post was I have a photographer friend who offered to do valentines portraits of me and my son as a gift. I accepted FOR MY SON, not for me, and I’m not looking forward to it and it’s making me so sad. Every picture I see of myself I get super depressed.
I have good hygiene. I bathe and smell good. I dress nice. I AM nice. But the few friends I have and even my mother have admitted I’m not exactly the most attractive woman so that just confirms everything else.
I’m sorry for this post and I don’t mean to invalidate anyone else’s feelings or experiences. I just really wanted to rant.
2. I’m ugly. I know I’m ugly. I have known that I am ugly since I was twelve years old.
Before then I thought I was simply fat, and that when I lost all that fat, that I would be beautiful and valuable. When I was twelve I lost two stone, and realised I was simply, irretrievably, ugly.
My most prominent feature is my long, hooked, nose. My eyes are tiny and so close together I can only use children’s glasses. I am twenty one and still constantly get large, red spots.
My hair is a thick, brown mess of frizz. I have a wide ribcage and broad hips, which leave me with a very broad figure no matter how much weight I lose. I have very small breasts, which, coupled with my wide hips leave me perpetually pear-shaped.
To top it all off I am tall, 5′ 10″ in stocking feet, so there is never an option of blending into the crowd. I am always seen, and always ugly.
The world of an ugly woman is different to that of a beautiful woman in so many ways I could not begin to explain it all. I can, however, briefly sketch the strange differences I have observed between how society treats ugly women, and how society treats beautiful women.
My sister is beautiful. I have many beautiful friends. I live in the same world as beautiful women. I am not one of them. They are celebrated, remembered, asked after. People are good to beautiful women, even when beautiful women are indifferent, hostile or even cruel in return. People remember my sister’s name and instantly forget me. When we are introduced to new people together, nine times out of ten if I meet that person again they will immediately ask where my sister is, how she is, what she is doing. I am never asked about myself and she is never asked about me.
My beautiful friends are photographed by friends and acquaintances. I am silently left out of the records of social events. I am erased from history because I am too ugly to be photographed. Strangers compliment my sister and my friends, strangers insult and ridicule me.
Men might think that perhaps they live in the same world that I do, but they don’t. Even ugly men live in a different world to me. I have never seen, or heard of, a man experiencing the same level of public condemnation for their looks that I have faced. The most recent example I can think of is the man who stopped in the street last week to tell me that I shouldn’t be wearing tinsel on my head like my friends (we were going for Christmas drinks) because I was so ugly. This is not rare for me and this is not new. This has been my life since I was a young teenager.
When I see discussions about catcalling I want to scream at the people who tell women that they should be complimented. What should I do when someone yells at me, unprovoked, that I am an ugly minger? I know I am ugly. There is literally nothing I can do about it. I’m trying my best already!
There is hope for ugly men in popular culture. We celebrate the story of the ugly, or at least not conventionally attractive male, who finally gets his, inevitably beautiful, female crush to realise how much he is worth on the inside and how worthy he is of her love. That story never happens in reverse. There are just no famous actresses that are anything other than conventionally beautiful.
Nobody writes books about ugly women. No one makes films or plays, or songs or art of any sort about ugly women. In fact, we’re not there at all. In popular culture, and culture stretching back as far as human memory goes, ugly women are not there. We don’t exist and nobody talks about us. Beautiful women are the only women we see or hear about, and most crushingly, the only women we remember. The ugly ones, no matter what they do, seem to be simply invisible. Invisible or evil and bad.
We shouldn’t be surprised by this, though, we tell children stories of the good, beautiful princess and the evil, ugly witch. We make this happen.
I am ugly. I will not be remembered. I will never be the protagonist of any story told. I hate being ugly. I hate myself. The end.
3. Every morning when I wake up, I want to go back to sleep. Not because I’m tired, but because I can’t face the world like this. I dress myself up as best as I can manage, and I do my hair by physical memory. I avoid the mirror.
Whenever I look in the mirror, I want to throw up. I want to rip my eyes out and never see again. I wish I could go to the store and return the parts of my face. Tell them: “This wasn’t what I ordered. I need a refund”. Get a replacement and finally love myself.
It’s hard to love yourself when no one loves you. A guy asks you out because of a dare. Just when you think you finally got someone to like you, they laugh at you and call you names. “Squidward”, “witch without the wart”, “forehead higher than my grades”, stuff you wish was a joke. It never is.
I have a crush now. We talk all the time. Sometimes about life, sometimes about our hobbies, sometimes about nothing really. I would definitely say we’re close. When I confessed, I admit I was kind of hopeful. I thought ‘maybe this time will be different. Maybe he would at least consider it’….But of course I was rejected. He wants his beautiful friend, not me. That kind of stuff always happens when you’re ugly. I couldn’t get someone to go out with me if I paid them.
See, as a woman, it doesn’t matter what other merits you have. It doesn’t matter that I’m a hard worker, people seem to think I’m funny, and I have some of the best grades in my entire school. It doesn’t matter that I read and research topics for a better understanding, and that I like having conversations about them. It doesn’t even matter that I have many skills. I’m ugly, therefore I am worthless. I’m ugly, so no one will ever want to date me.
When you’re ugly, you start considering the options. You look to plastic surgery because you know it’s the only way out. But plastic surgery is uncomfortable, it’s expensive, and it might not even work. God dammit.
I don’t believe in god, but I’m starting to think I should. Maybe some magical space man can make my face beautiful. Maybe some fairy in the sky can get someone to love me. Then I’d be happy. Even if it’s just for a little while.
‘World War 3 has already started’ between US and Russia/China, argues French scholar
A very realistic analysis of our global economy.
Why is America a declining superpower?
All empires eventually collapse. This has been proven throughout history.
America’s time has come.
The reasons are manifold:
- Internal political corruption, mostly from runaway capitalism.
- Massive national debt, currently at over $30 trillion.
- Endless money printing which is unsustainable.
- Extreme economic inequality which is causing massive discontent among the population.
- Over-reliance on global militarism which causes enormous financial strain.
- Numerous domestic issues such as gun violence and mass shootings, systemic racism, mass incarceration, homelessness, unaffordable health care, etc.
- Loss of credibility around the world, for example, most countries refuse to follow USA’s sanctions against Russia, OPEC refuses to increase oil production at USA’s request, SE Asia refuses to join USA in a coalition against China, and so on.
- BRICS is creating an alternative reserve currency to the US Dollar. That means no more sanctions.
Discovery
Polar Bear Kills Two In Alaska Village
A polar bear killed a woman and boy Tuesday afternoon in the Northwest Alaska community of Wales, according to Alaska State Troopers.
Troopers received a report of a polar bear attack around 2:30 p.m., troopers said in an online report. According to initial accounts, a polar bear came to the village and chased several residents, troopers said.
The bear killed a woman and a boy, troopers said. Another Wales resident shot and killed the bear “as it attacked the pair,” troopers said.
The two people who were killed in the mauling weren’t identified in the report, and troopers said officials are working to notify their next of kin.
Austin McDaniel, a spokesman for the Alaska Department of Public Safety, said troopers are coordinating with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game as they try to send personnel to Wales as soon as the weather allows.
Wales — a predominantly Inupiaq village of fewer than 150 people — is located on the far western edge of the Seward Peninsula bordering the Bering Strait, just over 100 miles northwest of Nome.
In winter, polar bears can be found as far south as St. Lawrence Island, occasionally traveling even farther south, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Subsisting primarily on a diet of marine mammals, males can grow to be up to 1,200 pounds, females up to 700 pounds, with no natural predators beyond humans.
Fatal polar bear attacks are extremely rare in Alaska. In 1990, a polar bear killed a man in the North Slope village of Point Lay. Biologists later said the animal showed signs of starvation. In 1993, a polar bear burst through a window of an Air Force radar station on the North Slope, seriously mauling a 55-year-old mechanic. He survived the attack.
Escape Into The Glass Rivers And Lakes Of These Beautiful Wood Tables
If getting lost in a coffee table sounds improbable, you may change your mind once you see these beautiful furnishings. Artist and designer Greg Klassen transforms reclaimed wood into mesmerizing works of art embedded with glass rivers and lakes. Klassen’s newest works include a variety of coffee tables of different sizes and shapes, as well as wall hangings.
What a find!
Overworked Employee Quits Because He Wasn’t Getting A Fair Wage, Costs The Company $40 Million
Not paying your employees a fair wage can have disastrous consequences for the company’s bottom line. Some business owners realize this only when it’s far, far too late.
Redditor u/slw_motion_trainwrck opened up about how he quit his low-paying, exhausting IT job at a major multinational company… and how the day after he left work, the business lost $40 million. In three very extensive posts on r/antiwork, the redditor detailed exactly how this happened, and the read is absolutely riveting.
Scroll down for the full story and more details about why exactly the manufacturing company that makes components for the automotive industry lost as much money as it did, dear Pandas. It’s definitely worth your attention. You’ll see just how low companies go and how far from every promise is worth listening to if it’s not in writing.
Financial expert Sam Dogen, the author of ‘Buy This, Not That: How to Spend Your Way to Wealth and Freedom’ and the founder of Financial Samurai, was kind enough to share his opinion with Bored Panda on how to gauge if someone is underpaid.
“The best way to gauge if you are underpaid is to ask your colleagues and other people in your industry what they are getting paid. They might be hard-pressed to reveal their figures at first. Therefore, you can ask for a range and also volunteer your wage and ask for their guidance. Getting average wages for your job based on online websites is not too helpful given their numbers are averages and all over the place,” he told us that employees should ask around to see if they’re being paid a proper wage.
According to financial expert Sam, a good employee knows their value. “The more an employee is irreplaceable, the more valuable the employee is. Therefore, if you know that your business will run just fine without you for one month or longer, you may not be as valuable as you think,” he said. “On the other hand, if you feel your business will suffer if you’re out longer than a week, then you are considered more valuable. No manager wants to lose a valuable employee because it takes a lot of time to find and train a new employee.”
An IT specialist, who was very overworked and incredibly underpaid, decided that he wanted better work conditions
However, the multinational company was less than friendly, and drove itself into a huge financial mess as a result. Here’s the full story
“The Trains of Silence” (1965)
Just discovered this fabulous series.
Great scripts. Famous actors. Tight direction. Great settings. Luscious color. Way ahead of any thing today.
Cool discovery