My grandmother used to make bacon salads.
She would make a salad, cut up all the ingredients in tiny sizes. No more larger than an inch (25 mm) or so, and then cook bacon. She would cut up the bacon and then pour the HOT bacon grease onto the salad.
Now the thing is… you have to add the bacon WHEN YOU SERVE the salad. The bacon grease must be warm. And for most meals it will keep for the duration of the meal.
But you know, no one told me that.
Somehow expecting me to learn through osmosis. I recon.
A fine delicious salad, but not if you allow the bacon to get cold.
So one day, I made a bacon salad.
And since no one else was ready, I put it in the refrigerator. And then three hours later when everyone was ready (blame my perpetually-late sister for the delay) I took the salad out and expected everyone to be happy.
After all, it was my surprise, and my special present.
But all the grease was cold and congealed into a white greasy mess.
No one ate it, and during dinner my sister completely took the time to belittle me, call me names, and generally make the dining experience horrible for me to experience.
So yeah.
I never made a bacon salad since.
Oh sure, i easy can do so.
But the trauma of the ridicule was too much to take. So I learned not to cook for others voluntarily.
And that is my story for today….
What is the lamest “benefit” you’ve been offered by an employer?
The company I worked for was being sold which meant new management.
The new owners didn’t really understand my job or what my department did so they decided to eliminate the entire department.
Within a week I was the only person left and my job was to help shut down the systems and sell off the remaining assets.
It was made very clear that completing this work meant I would be out of a job.
Now as luck would have it the head of a different department had taken an interest in me several months prior and had been looking for an opportunity to “steal me away” for their department.
This move came with a nice raise, a promotion, quarterly performance bonuses, opportunities for career advancement and a few other nice perks. And because my old department was effectively shut down I had some time each day to learn about the new department.
It was a Win-Win opportunity.
Unbeknownst to me, during this transition time a few people at the company, who were middle manager types, took an interest in my old department and had convinced the new owners to let them restart and rebuild the department.
Had I known this was happening I would have definitely been part of the presentation to keep the department.
Instead, these middle managers waited until the final week right when I was putting the final pieces away before they came to me with the “good news” that they were now my bosses.
I was a little upset at having been kept out of the loop but I also liked my old job.
I went to the other department manager that was eager for me to start and explained what was happening; they said to do what’s best for me and my family because that’s what’s most important.
I then went to the middle managers and told them I had already been talking to a new department and was being offered a promotion and raise. They told me, in a cheerful manner:
“Well we can’t offer you more money. But we can promise you more work and more responsibilities!”
I went to HR and signed the paperwork to change departments that same day.
Corned Beef and Cabbage
A slow cooker is an absolutely wonderful and foolproof way to cook your Corned Beef and Cabbage.
Use one brisket for dinner. Save the other brisket to make Reuben Sandwiches.
Ingredients
- 2 (3 pound) or more corned beef briskets*
- 1 (12 ounce) can beer, apple cider or apple juice
- Water
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 head cabbage, cut into wedges
- 6 to 8 small red potatoes, halved
- 6 carrots, cut into thirds
Instructions
- Place corned beef in slow cooker. Pour in beer or apple cider. Barely cover with water.
- Add onion, garlic and bay leaves (if needed).
- Add cabbage, potatoes and carrots.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 10 to 12 hours.
Notes
* If you have the already-seasoned type, do not add the garlic and bay leaves.
Is the open source DeepSeek giving India a chance to catch up and beat China?
Yes, claimed by India.
The US and west have given India 70 years, India is still the poorest country in the world.
The US and west have been containing China for 70 years, China has become the industry, military and technology center of the world.
Now China, on behalf of God, give a God’s gift to human race on earth, DeepSeek.
let’s see what is India going to do with it!
OpenAI isn’t Open. It is actually a closedAI. The US has been cheating & lying as always. Plus OpenAI has been stealing data from all over the world. Indian media groups and hundreds of companies have been suing OpenAI in courts for stealing.
So, OpenAI is the same as their government, lying, cheating, stealing, the root of all evil, the common enemy of mankind and cancer of the Universe.
———
DeepSeek is indeed deep, it has deeply penetrated the entire US AI and entire Americans’ hearts. DeepSeek has taught the US what’s is open, what’s free, what’s the human rights and what’s the real democracy.
DeepSeek is a gift to human races by God!
DeepSeek is the same as their government, offering the world true openness, democracy, human rights and freedom, the beacon of the human races on earth.
Who saved your life while you were in your darkest times?
People are matched up for a reason. I was glad my wife was with me.
Back in 2010, my dad put my brother and I in charge of the family business. Initially I thought this would be fine and in the beginning it was. However my brothers dark side soon came out. He was always jealous of me since we were kids because my dad used to compare us to each other. Soon he sent many mean emails and text messages over and over, many times a day, sometimes late into the night.
At first, I couldn’t understand where this was all coming from. I responded back to have him stop but as I later learned about narcissist, they love when you get mad. Every time I would get a text or email from him, I would just feel low because he would just tear me to shreds. Suicide was the best option to stop this but then my wife would no longer have a husband and the kids would no longer have a dad and I couldn’t do that to them. I asked God for help and I think the answer was to get educated about his behavior.
So I did. I looked up traits of narcissistic personality and what they do what they do. This helped explain so much information about him. Total eye opening experience. Now since I knew what his objective or motive was when he spoke to me, I never let it upset me. Being aware of narcissistic people is interesting because I see it on the driver that’s honking in traffic, or the person with road rage, or even coworkers.
Since then, the business has been resolved and I now no longer talk to my brother or mom, another person I recognized as a narcissist. I blocked all incoming texts and emails and as now I just need to heal from what my brother did to me for 14 years.
Ask Prof Wolff: China Vs. a Myth of Stolen Technology
Subterranean Homesick Blues
Submitted into Contest #213 in response to: Write about someone with a Midas touch: everything they touch turns to [fill in the blank].… view prompt
Benja Catton
They seemed happy when he was still alive. They missed their home. But they seemed happy still, just to be together. They would take little walks daily when they first arrived. They couldn’t go far, just around the block really. Sometimes I’d see them near the newspaper stands out front. I never saw them buy anything; they’d just stand around beside it. Now I know why.
After I hadn’t heard her come in or out for days, it sort of dawned on me. I was walking past her door and instead of hurrying past quietly, I slowed. A peculiar smell, like dirt, emanated from her doorway. I tried to remember if I’d heard her at all lately. I stood there for ten minutes before I decided to knock. Then I knocked again, and again. Then I came back that night and knocked again. She didn’t answer.
I let myself in while saying, “Hello! Hello, Heather?! Hello?” The apartment was tidy, except the bathroom, which I only peeked in, but I saw that an enormous plant was absolutely taking over.
I did one lap through the apartment and came back to the dining room to find her “journal” open on the folding card table that was her dining table. It was just a yellow legal pad, but she had become quite intimate with it. It was the same type of paper she’d written my overly explanatory cat-sitting instructions on.
I started reading it where it was open to, the pages curled over the top and tucked under themselves, but I quickly turned back through the pages to start from the beginning. The first few pages weren’t used up. There was a grocery list on one. Another page held a list of medicines, directions to bus stops, a couple of phone numbers, and values that were probably bus fares. Then the writing began. It was short; she’d started it about the time that she’d asked me to watch her cat, which is to say, about when her husband passed away. Do I call the police? This is what I found:
Jean,
I’m going to our house to lay you to rest where you belong. I fear no one will be able to take me to be with you when I pass. I know no one else here. Of course you know that. I may ask our neighbor. I have asked her to watch Claudia while I go away to take you home. I am very scared I will be stuck here, or somewhere else, without you. I miss you already.
Jean,
I’m going to leave tomorrow. I am writing our neighbor a list so Claudia will be well taken care of. I worry about her. She misses you already. I asked the neighbor to water the plants too. They droop already without your green thumb. I am very anxious to smell the country air. I have stood on our vent the last few days, next to the newspaper stand, as we always would. The air rushes up from it as before, but it has lost its scent of dirt and farm. Perhaps I cannot smell now, I have cried so much. I will only be gone two days. I have very little money to spend, and the bus was more than I remembered.
Jean,
We’re home at the farm. You can stay here. I will come back to visit when I can. I’ve scattered you under our big tree, and at the back of the barn where you would smoke your pipe, near the stream and the cattails. I would like to be there too, but I worry no one will be able to bring me back to you when I pass. But you know that. I bussed in this morning and must bus out this evening. I will be back to you soon. Somehow.
Jean,
I am back in the city. Claudia mewed a lot when I first got home. The neighbor was nice to watch her. The plants look droopy. Our apartment is not like our farm. I brought a plant from the farm, from down by the stream and the cattails. It was the first thing I’ve been able to really smell since you left. I wrapped the roots in newspaper, and now I will pot it. I am grateful to smell it. I hope it will be okay without your green thumb. I am sad to think of you alone at home, me here alone.
Jean,
Claudia will not leave the new plant alone! It is a viney plant I put in a hanging pot, and she claws and chews the tendrils. I have scolded her several times now, but I am no disciplinarian right now – I need her love too. I keep moving the plant. I went out to walk, and stopped at our spot on the vent, it no longer smells of the country. I’m sure of it now. I came back and Claudia had spilled some of the dirt from the plant on the rug from home. The dirt is rich and loamy like the soil on our farm. It smells fecund. I moved the hanging plant to the bathroom, near the window where it will get light. Hopefully she won’t bother it as much there. I love you.
Jean,
Claudia is really mischievous! I think she misses you terribly. We have been squabbling ever since I brought the plant home. She managed to climb the windowsill and spill dirt from it once again. It was easier to clean on the tile floor, some hit the basin of the tub and some went in the toilet. I don’t want it to lose that good dirt, it smells so rich. I was very angry with her, but I cannot punish her. I’ve taken to closing the bathroom door, and now she paws it and mews all day long. My walks are lonely without your musings.
Another grocery list interrupted the journal entries. Below the grocery list she had worked out her budget for the month. She’d budgeted her groceries into a meal plan. It was lean. I felt a pang of embarrassment as I realized just how indigent her circumstances were.
The journaling continued:
Jean,
We are at odds, Claudia and I. I need her affection and she is being an intolerable pest. She will not leave the bathroom door alone. She paws the door and mews relentlessly. I am at my wits end. I have walked twice today, to have a break from her. I feel very vulnerable standing on the vent by the newspaper stand without you. I pretend to look at the newspapers, but I don’t know what to do with myself. The smell of the country is gone, but I don’t know where else to walk to. I feel like you’ve always been there. I hardly remember you not being there. It is difficult without your direction.
Oh, this cat! I must go.
I miss you. Love.
Jean,
The plant is doing very well in the bathroom. Perhaps it is the moisture from the shower. It’s growing voraciously. Is that the right word? The tendrils reach the floor and hang to the toilet bowl. I must trim them. I think it must be the dirt, it smells healthy, ruddy. It reminds me of you when you’d come in from the field, before washing for dinner. Claudia has not left the bathroom door.
Dirty cat paw tracks were stamped across this page.
Jean,
The plant was back in the toilet bowl today. It must have liked the water I gave it. It grows so fast! Claudia, tried to claw her way in as I pushed through the crack in the door and kept her out. I can’t believe her bad behavior. She is desperate to be a pain. I couldn’t find the scissors today; I have no idea where I put them. I tried to pull the tendril out of the toilet, but it was extremely long and had grown down into the hole and seemed to be tangled on something! I gave up quickly. What a bizarre plant. It’s bewildering. I’ll need to get another scissor.
Jean,
I forgot to get a scissor while I was out on our walk. I stopped and whispered for you at our spot. When I came home I was amazed yet again to see how much the plant had grown. It grows faster than corn, faster than a sunflower. I’m not sure what sort of plant it is, but it smells so familiar. It now has several tendrils reaching into the toilet. I couldn’t remove them. I’ve been stopping in to use the bathroom at the corner store because I don’t know what to do until I can cut loose these parts of the plant. How embarrassing. Claudia has worn little smudges in the paint on the bottom of the bathroom door where she reaches up and paws it over and over. The little nuisance – now I must paint the door! I feel bad because she used to like to look out the bathroom window too. She misses the country as much as I do, as much as we did. She has never liked being a city cat. But I can’t let her in there, she makes such a mess of that plant, and it is making such a mess on its own!
Jean,
I came from our walk and I saw that the bathroom door had come open! At first I wondered if Claudia had somehow managed to open it, but then I saw the tendrils of the plant were wrapped on the door handle! How strange! It’s taking over – wrapping itself on any protrusion it reaches. The plant is enormous. The smell of our farm’s soil now permeates through the rest of the house. I do love that. They did not have scissors at the corner store. I will have to bus somewhere if I want to trim it. I like the smell, and it is impressively hearty, I almost hate to cut it back, no matter the inconvenience.
Jean! Help! I cannot find Claudia! The plant is sort of thick in the bathroom. I wonder if she’s hiding in there and I cannot find her???
Jean,
I don’t think she could have gotten out the front door. I would have seen her in the hall, or in the elevator, or in the lobby. Someone would have seen her and brought her back to me. She must be in the bathroom. I have pulled at the tendrils and tried to find her in the mess that the plant is making. Jean, I don’t know what to do. I haven’t gone walking today. I haven’t eaten. I haven’t used the bathroom. I’m too upset. Where is she? Where are you?
Jean,
Claudia is not in the apartment. I dug through the plant in the bathroom again. I should get rid of it, it is impractical. Yet I still want it – it smells so nice. A whole mess of tendrils are growing into the toilet now. It is odd. There are others climbing across the shower curtain, wrapped around the light, across the window sill, wrapping all the cupboard handles, the door handle. Thick knots and nests of green are everywhere, but the main shock of growth is tendrils into the toilet water, and I can’t pull them out no matter how long I pull them. They go for feet and feet and feet, and I make such a mess of water when I pull on them. – But, I’m worried. There was a lot of cat hair in the toilet water. I am worried that somehow Claudia may have been hurt, or drowned, but I can’t think how. I am so confused without you to talk to.
Heather’s handwriting was deteriorating, becoming a scrawl, though it was still legible.
Jean,
I had to go walk. I needed the facilities, and I needed to eat. At our vent, the smell has faintly returned. It’s the good dirt smell that’s now in the bathroom. Coming up from the vent were little fronds, little green leaves. I had thought it must lead to the metro? I don’t remember what you told me about it? If you had an idea of why it smelled like the country? It was nice to have our spot be familiar to me once again. I stood there for quite some time, I whispered, “Jean” over and over. But you know that.
Jean,
I still have not seen Claudia. In the bathroom, cattail shoots have sprouted from the bathtub drain. It is absurd. I have never seen a plant like this. It has more energy than me. I have no money to call a plumber, or any help. I’m embarrassed to ask anyone from the apartment, it looks like I’ve let it go on for years.
– – –
I went on our walk. The little green leaves I was telling you about have grown too. They too are cattails! It smells strongly of the country again. I have resolved to try to get the plant out of the bathroom now that I can return to our walks for some comfort. I don’t know what to do about Claudia. You remember that she would sometimes be gone for a day or two at the farm, but that was quite different. My heart is broken. I feel very disoriented.
Jean,
I have been using the big kitchen knife to cut back some of the tendrils. I cannot cut through some of the ones going into the toilet. They are thick. I pulled and pulled all morning and have pulled many feet from the water. A lot of cat hair came up as I did it. It made me sick with worry. I can’t imagine how it happened. I am angry, yet I still love its smell. I am unraveling. It’s like the smell is taking me home to you and the farm, and that comforts me, but I’m just sick about Claudia.
– – –
It has been several more hours and I’ve worked hard at pulling up more of the plant. I am scared. More cat hair came up. Then, as the tendrils were becoming narrower and it was easier to pull, it got stuck. At the bottom of the bowl was a thick green stick, or so I thought. It was very difficult to pull so I reached to grab it at the bottom of the bowl. The green stick moved when I touched it! It moved like it could feel me touching it. It curled at my touch, around my finger!
– – –
I went back to look and the green stick had moved back below sight. I pulled up on the tendrils again and got it back to where it had been. I am scared, Jean. The stick looks like a thumb. It is connected to a larger something. It looks like fingers are wrapped around the plant. I feel like I am losing my mind. It is just a plant. I tried again to just cut the plant, so I could flush the rest of it away that was in there, but it is very sturdy. I want it gone from the apartment. I need to go out. I want out of the apartment.
– – –
I feel better after our walk. Our spot has green growing up all around it. People looked startled by it, but I stood right where we always did and whispered, “Jean, Jean, Jean.” It is aromatic. I can taste the dirt. Like going home. But I’m still a bit scared, but less so. It’s a plant. Right? It cannot hurt me. Right? The “hand” has disappeared below sight. I am going to try and pull the plant out. When I see it again, I will reach down and grasp it.
The journal ended there. I uncurled the yellow pages back over the top of the spine and set the key on top of them. I locked the door from the inside and closed it behind me. I called the police. While I awaited their arrival, I splashed cold water on my face in my kitchen basin. As the water swirled down the drain, I noticed tiny green leaves just beneath the drain guard.
Are highly expensive Nvidia AI chips doomed after the release of highly cheap, efficient and open source Chinese Deepseek AI models?
You know I’m actually really glad seeing Nvidia and the other tech giants at Silicon valley sink into the graves they’ve dug themselves.
Because never had I seen a more greedy, more blatant cash grab through the mostly technologically ignorant politicians of the US government and paranoid military officials who know they’ve got a blank cheque via the US Military Industrial Complex and will pay any amount to get back the technological might gap they had in the 2000s.
Why the hell would you need 500 billion dollars to develop an AI and algorithm model when the humble origins of OpenAI and others showed otherwise? Why not put one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world and the various existing digital infrastructure at Silicon Valley to continue doing what they’ve always done in developing AI.
Trump had announced a 500 billion dollar investment, but whether or not this man is in on it because US politicians can hold stock despite insider trading is illegal and various trust acts make holding stock somewhat legally blurry. In any case, a lot of US politicians are likely in on the AI bubble and are trying to bail themselves out by putting almost the exact same amount Nvidia has lost in value to the US AI market to try and bring back investors.
Nvidia had once been worth three trillion, but the appearance of a real competitor finally put an end to the bubble Nvidia and other such companies have been blowing in the AI market. The EU AI act and the various other digital laws and regulations the EU has had over the years made them less attractive and competitive on the Markets.
France has been spearheading efforts, as well the UK and other non-EU countries have been trying to reverse the somewhat unerudite policies on AI, but I still do believe the EU is moving the right direction with the development of AI. For all the good its done, AI has been used in a lot of evil as well. (deepfakes and scamming and what not).
Before when people were speculating on how long their bubble would last, they’ve consistently dropped products and demonstrated the technological capability, and thus the feasibility to develop far, far cheaper models. They’ve achieved forging mini chips that could support supercomputing more than a decade ago, and only now do they drop this?:
NVIDIA Unveils Its Most Affordable Generative AI Supercomputer
Not to say that DeepSeek has done OpenAI in, as there really is no complete and perfect algorithm, only developments that supersede the previous generation, but I do hope this means my laptops stop getting more expensive.
Chinese Math/AI expert explains DeepSeek advantage and bet on future AI domination.
Why is Chinese food so disgusting compared to American food? Cheeseburgers, cake, soda, French fries, pizza, etc. are much better than all Chinese foods!
For the past couple weeks, I’ve been watching Americans (of all stripes and creeds) on Xiaohongshu/Rednote discover Chinese food. The two main hits have been:
- Steamed eggs. This is usually done with soy sauce, sesame oil, and green onions as dressing. The ease of the recipe seems to be a big part of its popularity, with just enough difficulty that it ends up being quite rewarding to people. It helps that the flavor profile and texture are very amenable to the vast majority of Americans.
- Fruit and herbal teas. There seems to be a bit of unlocking of a previous barrier, which is the idea that you can boil fruits and other medicinal herbs (dates, jujubes feature prominently) in water to create a tea that particularly helps with menstrual cramps. I have seen countless cases of American women reporting that they have been downing lots of pills to deal with something they experience on the regular, so anything that can get them off of such a dangerous coping mechanism would be welcome. That seems to be both the nutrition of TCM-informed teas (which sure, I have my doubts, but I can accept that it has some power here) as well as the more generalized practice of drinking hot water.
While this hyperbolic question is probably a troll, I do find a lot of Americans having a very low opinion of Chinese food. This is because Americans by and large do not have exposure to the vast majority of Chinese food, particularly those who have only heavily adapted American Chinese fare (e.g. “chop suey” joints). XHS/Rednote has been a gateway to the real deal and the response from Americans has been overwhelmingly positive, with plenty going out of their way to their local Asian markets for authentic ingredients.
Anyone seriously considering the question in earnest should do well to recognize and engage with such Americans.
I have included links to videos on XHS. Feel free to watch them to verify the authenticity of the claims here, as no doubt there are many who find such claims quite incredulous.
Footnotes
PRE-BIRTH EXPERIENCE, Why Life IS SO HARD & YOUR Life BEFORE Incarnation! | Christian Sundberg
Shorpy
Sir Whiskerton and the Case of the Echoing Kitten
Ah, dear reader, prepare yourself for another delightful adventure in the life of Sir Whiskerton, the farm’s most brilliant (and modest) detective. Today’s tale takes us to the local town junkyard, a place of wonder, danger, and endless echoes. What follows is a story filled with laughs, surprises, and a moral that will leave you grinning like a kitten who just discovered a ball of yarn. So grab your sense of humor and let’s rummage through The Case of the Echoing Kitten.
The Junkyard Playground
Just down the road from the farm lies the local town junkyard, a sprawling wasteland of discarded treasures. To the farm animals, it’s more than just a pile of trash—it’s a playground, a treasure trove, and sometimes even a buffet.
- The dogs love to chew on old shoes and dig through piles of broken furniture.
- The cats adore the free-ranging rats and mice, treating the junkyard like their own personal hunting ground.
- The ducks and geese, however, find the place “too dry” and “sterile,” preferring the lush greenery of the pond.
- The cows complain about the lack of grass, calling the junkyard “monotonous.”
- The goats, on the other hand, think it’s paradise. “So many things to climb!” they bleat, scaling stacks of old tires and refrigerators.
But for Ditto the kitten, the junkyard is a place of endless curiosity—and, as it turns out, endless echoes.
Ditto Goes Missing
One sunny afternoon, the animals decided to take a trip to the junkyard. Ditto, ever the curious kitten, followed Sir Whiskerton as usual, repeating everything his mentor said.
“Stay close, Ditto,” Sir Whiskerton said, flicking his tail.
“Stay close, Ditto,” Ditto echoed, his little tail flicking.
But as the animals spread out to explore, Ditto wandered off, chasing a particularly shiny piece of tin foil. Before long, he was lost in the maze of junk, his tiny meows drowned out by the clatter of old appliances and the rustle of rats.
“Ditto!” Sir Whiskerton called, his voice sharp.
“Ditto!” came the echo—but it wasn’t Ditto’s voice.
The Search Begins
Realizing Ditto was missing, Sir Whiskerton rallied the animals to help search for him.
“Alright, team,” Sir Whiskerton said, addressing the group. “Ditto’s lost in the junkyard. We need to find him before he gets himself into trouble.”
“Trouble! But also so… echo-y!” Doris the hen squawked.
“Echo-y! Oh, I can’t bear it!” Lillian screeched, fainting dramatically into a pile of old newspapers.
The animals spread out, calling Ditto’s name as they searched through the junk.
“Ditto!” Sir Whiskerton called.
“Ditto!” came the echo.
“Ditto!” Rufus barked.
“Ditto!” came the echo.
“Ditto!” Porkchop grunted.
“Ditto!” came the echo.
The Echoing Mystery
As Sir Whiskerton followed the echoes, he noticed something strange. The responses weren’t just Ditto’s voice—they were slightly different, higher-pitched, and… female?
“Ditto!” Sir Whiskerton called again.
“Ditto!” came the echo, followed by a giggle.
Sir Whiskerton’s whiskers twitched. “What in whiskers’ name is going on here?”
He followed the sound, weaving through piles of junk until he found Ditto—and a tiny gray-and-white kitten with bright green eyes.
“Ditto!” Sir Whiskerton said, narrowing his eyes.
“Ditto!” the new kitten echoed, grinning.
“Who are you?” Sir Whiskerton asked.
“Who are you?” the kitten echoed, tilting her head.
“Stop that,” Sir Whiskerton said, flicking his tail.
“Stop that,” the kitten echoed, flicking her tail.
A Happy Ending
Sir Whiskerton sighed, realizing he had not one but two echoing kittens on his paws. He scooped up Ditto and the new kitten, who introduced herself as Echo.
“Echo?” Sir Whiskerton said, raising an eyebrow. “How fitting.”
“Fitting!” Echo said, grinning.
The animals returned to the farm, where Echo quickly became part of the community. She followed Ditto everywhere, repeating everything he said, and Ditto, in turn, followed Sir Whiskerton.
“Oh, Sir Whiskerton!” Doris squawked. “Now there are two of them!”
“Two of them! But also so… echo-licious!” Harriet clucked.
“Echo-licious! Oh, I can’t bear it!” Lillian screeched, fainting one last time.
The Moral of the Story
The moral of the story, dear reader, is this: Sometimes, when you go looking for something, you find more than you bargained for—and that’s not always a bad thing. And while echoes can be annoying, they can also bring a little extra joy to your life.
As for Sir Whiskerton? He returned to his sunbeam, content in the knowledge that he had once again saved the day—and gained a new shadow in the process.
Until next time, my friends.
The End.
I hope this echoing adventure brought a smile to your face!
Country Style Cube Steaks
Ingredients
- 4 to 6 cube steaks
- All-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 package dry onion soup mix
- 1 package dry brown gravy mix
- Water
Instructions
- Dredge steaks with flour.
- Heat oil in large skillet over medium low heat. Brown steaks on both sides. Drain excess fat.
- Place steaks in slow cooker.
- Add soup and gravy mixes and enough water to cover meat.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.
What is it like to live in Los Angeles right now with all the fires?
I guess they are not very good now.
On Xiaohongshu (RedNote), I heard a Los Angeles disaster victim say that she lost everything in the fire, including her house and shop. She was very sad, not only did she not get any comfort on social networking sites, but she also had to endure attacks from Republicans (Los Angeles belongs to California, a blue state) and ridicule from foreigners (Mainly from Middle Eastern countries bombed by the United States).
Tim Boyd, mayor of Colorado City in Texas told the truth
Small Things in Life Bring Happiness
Submitted into Contest #213 in response to: Write about someone with a Midas touch: everything they touch turns to [fill in the blank].… view prompt
Gerald Boisvert
At that very instance, the dream-like state vanished from my brain, and there I was with myself lying on the hard ground empty handed just as I was not 10-minutes prior. I envisioned in my mind a gold surroundings about me. Gold acorns on the ground, gold blades of grass, with the sun shimmering on the various patches throughout this property, and tree limbs, and leaves just amass with gold elegance. I was definitely rich, and knew that whatever I seemed to look at had turned into gold. Did I cause this to happen? Did this now missing gold object bring about some alien power that allowed me to transform common objects into gold items? Was I now blessed with the “Midas” touch or was this just a foolish dream like all of my other dreams since the stroke that brought me to this state of mind? I wanted to open my eyes wide after closing them tightly, and see the real gold thing; but when I did so, I was there lying in a bed with my arm bound with straps, and padded walls all around me. Where was I? It was where I had been for the last 6-months following the stroke….the Philadelphia VA Mental & Rehabilitation Center. My mind was still playing tricks on me, and it looks as though the medication and counseling has not made much in the way of progress in resolving my issues. Wow though, just the thought of being able to touch anything into gold made me happy for a bit!
Why do Chinese businesses seem to survive even though their businesses appear to be quiet and even bankrupt?
There have been a few times when I have come into a business that looked deserted.
Yesterday I walked to Pasar Baru, in the back alley there was an old cakwe seller, maybe 70 years old, his stall was small, maybe 1×2 meters but the smell of his cakwe was quite fragrant. He was just relaxing frying it even though there were no customers approaching.
I asked, “How much is the cakwe?”
“Sorry, Mr. Cakwe, if you order now, you can only pick it up at 2 pm.”
“Oh is that so, never mind then”
It turns out that the cakwe stall is very famous, no one came because they already knew they wouldn’t get any…
My second experience at ITC, when I accompanied my friend shopping for clothes etc., when we finished we stopped by a bakery outlet on the outskirts. The place was not crowded, there were only a few loaves of bread and the price was premium but oh well, we were hungry. When we tried the price, it was true, the taste was really good. We bought some to take home.
A few weeks ago I went to Grand Indonesia and it turned out that the bakery opened a shop in the restaurant area. I checked their IG account and it turned out that the bakery had a lot of followers and sales through Tokopedia and shoppers were quite high.
The point is, a quiet shop does not necessarily mean that their business is also quiet. It could be that they are not focusing on retail customers but on the order and pre-order model.
WHY “YOUNG PEOPLE DONT WANT TO WORK ANYMORE!”
Have you ever been ignored by the staff in a store because you didn’t look wealthy enough?
I have a story from the other side.
As a student (end of the 70s / early 80s), I had a holiday job in a menswear shop, in a market town.
One day, a dishevelled ‘gentleman’ in less than pristine Wellington boots, threadbare corduroys, holed pullover, and dirty and patched waxed jacket walked in. He stood awkwardly in the middle of the store.
I approached, and asked if I could help, expecting him to want a shirt or gloves, possibly a cap (all fairly common purchases).
‘Wife says I need a suit. Can’t see why.’
‘Is it for a particular occasion?’
‘Son’s getting married. Can you help?’
‘Of course. Let’s not make this painful.’
Having helped him out of his jacket and pullover, I put a suit jacket on him.
‘It’s my size! How do you do that? Oh. I suppose that’s your job.’
He actually had fun with the process, and left with a suit, two shirts, a couple of ties, a pair of Church’s shoes, socks…and a tweed flat cap.
No, the cap wasn’t for the wedding. He saw them, and said he’d buy one if I chose one he liked, that was the right size (cap sizing is notoriously difficult).
This sort of customer wasn’t too unusual, but was extreme enough to be memorable.
What do you make of the fact that Canada and Mexico will not cooperate with us regarding the border, and instead imposed their own tariffs on American goods? Aren’t they supposed to be our allies? This question is not for snowflakes with TDS.
Both Canada and Mexico, have beefed up patrols of the border, but they cannot possibly stop everyone trying to get to the US side. All we can do is turn them around, because it’s not illegal the walk around near the border, they just wait and try again somewhere else. It is illegal by US law for them to enter the US this way. It’s your border patrol’s job to arrest them, convict them and jail them, or just send them back. Neither Canada nor Mexico has the authority to enforce US law. Until they set foot on US soil, even your border patrol can’t do anything.
But that is all besides the point of US tariffs, Trump says he could put economic pressure on Canada to become the 51st state, that is the actual reason for the tariffs. Trump wants Canada’s resources to become US resources, that’s what this is all about, nothing to do with the border, except to remove it.
Trump knows there’s not a snowballs chance in hell that Canada would willingly become a part of the US, so he’s setting up a hostile takeover, he’s just stupid enough to think it will work too.
Canada is at the moment, still allied with the US, but the moment Trumps tariffs come into effect, that will be gone too. Canadians don’t want a trade war, but if Trump starts one, he breaks the trade agreement, that he signed during his first term. No one in the world will trust the US enough to sign another trade agreement with the US again.
Who do you think that will hurt?