This late January 2024, it seems that there are numerous trends going on at this moment in time.

American Society

• “Passport Bros” is a real thing for young men. They are leaving and not planning on returning back to the USA. Leaving “woke” American women, childless, without families and living off “hook-up culture” as they enter a new life of “cat ladies”.

China

• “President” Biden continues on the war-path against China and has three aircraft carrier groups off the Chinese coast right now. And provocations are ramping up in the Pacific. Though he is making all the flowery overtures.

Russia / Ukraine

• Russia is winning in Ukraine, and NATO is in a panic.

UK and NATO

• UK has gone insane and talking about mass conscription and nuclear war. The USA is obliging shipping nuclear weapons to the UK. France wants an active role; Via la France!

Gaza / Israel / Middle East

• Gaza War continues a pace, and American ships are sinking. Both Israel and the United States are much weaker than they are considered to be. No obvious end of the war is in sight. But the UN is “putting its foot down” regarding both the USA and Israel.

American Civil War

• Texas and half the other states are stopping the influx of illegal aliens, Willing to dissolve the union to do so. “President” Biden responds by shutting of LG gas, and more efforts will obviously ramp up in the future.

It looks like a very exciting year of the dragon 2024. If you live in the “West” then please “batten down the hatches”. Things are about to get really dicey.

“A Child That Is Not Embraced by the Village Will Burn It Down to Feel Its Warmth.”

January 24, 2024

This poignant quote conveys a tragic yet profound truth about human nature. When a child grows up deprived of community, lacking that feeling of belonging, they will go to destructive extremes to fulfill their fundamental need for connection.

This quote speaks to how our early environments shape us. A child is not born inherently good or bad. But if they mature in isolation, never feeling accepted by those around them, it damages their social development.

Rejected children often suffer from low self-esteem, anger issues, and oppositional behavior. Lacking positive childhood connections can impede their ability to interact with others and form healthy relationships later in life.

The quote suggests that without intervention, that alienated child may eventually seek out negative attention-even if it means resorting to violence or other dangerous acts.

They want to retaliate against a community that made them feel unworthy and invisible. It’s a maladaptive cry for help, for someone to finally notice them and their distress.

A village that embraces all children-that provides guidance, role models and a nurturing web of social bonds-could prevent such a destructive cry for connection.

It highlights our collective responsibility to foster welcoming communities that envelop children in warmth, so they become citizens seeking to build up rather than tear down society.

Lamb with Rice (Atzem Pilafi)

Ingredients

• 3 pounds lamb, cut in 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 pound butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, peeled, strained, or 1 tablespoon tomato paste diluted with 1 cup water
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 8 cups water
• 4 cups raw rice

Instructions

1. Wash and dry meat.
2. Brown 2/3 of the butter in large pot. Add meat and brown on all sides. Add onions and continue to cook until they become a light golden color. Add tomatoes or diluted tomato paste, and the salt, pepper and water. Cover pot and simmer until meat is tender, about 1 hour. Put meat into casserole and keep it warm.
3. Strain sauce; measure it. Add water if necessary to make 8 or 9 cups. Pour into large pot and bring to a boil. Add rice. Stir at the start to prevent sticking. Cover and simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Add meat and mix well. Brown remaining butter and pour it over the rice.
4. Cover pot with a clean towel, then cover towel with pot lid. Let stand for 5 minutes.
5. Serve hot.

Serves 6 to 10.

Fostering a Nurturing Village

Understanding the profound truth behind this proverb compels communities to reflect on their role in nurturing the younger generation.

1. Inclusive Communities: Societies need to strive for inclusivity, ensuring that every child feels accepted and valued, regardless of their background, abilities, or challenges. This involves active engagement and support for all children, especially those at risk of marginalization.

2. Proactive Support Systems: It’s crucial for communities to establish robust support systems for children and families. This includes accessible educational resources, mental health support, and recreational programs that offer positive outlets for energy and creativity.

3. Collective Responsibility: The proverb underscores the collective responsibility of the village. Every member of the community, not just the immediate family or educators, has a role in embracing the young. This could mean being a mentor, offering support to struggling families, or simply being a kind and attentive neighbor.

“A child that is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth” is a powerful reminder of the critical role of community in shaping the lives of its youngest members. It calls for a collective effort to nurture, guide, and embrace every child, recognizing that the well-being of each individual is deeply intertwined with the health of the entire community. By ensuring that no child is left unembraced, societies can prevent the flames of neglect and build a future that is warm and bright for all.

What It’s Like Working At An Animal Shelter Which Has To Put Animals Down?

January 25, 2024

On a daily basis, we clean up after the animals, feed them, take their pictures, vaccinate, medicate, socialize, etc.

For every cute puppy or kitten we adopt out, we usually find ourselves getting two in return. Whether its a stray off the streets, or some heartless chode that decided their dog of 5+ years doesn’t “fit” with their lifestyle anymore. No matter how hard we try, we grow attached. To some, we attach more than others.

Euthanasia is a necessary evil. Space isn’t limitless, and even if it was, who would pay for all of the animals? I’m just sure our fellow Texans are salivating at the thought of increased taxes, especially for taking care of feral cats and breeds that have been labelled violent by a very ignorant public (i.e. pit-bulls).

It doesn’t matter how hard you steel yourself, or how long you’ve been doing the job. You never get used to it, and you never grow completely numb. Imagine getting 12 cats in the span of a single day, and having to pick the 12 that have to die so there is enough room to accommodate them. I’ve stopped eating for days. I’ve cried myself to sleep. I’ve grown very disgusted with my fellow man.

Now on top of all that, imagine doing the job and running into disdainful assholes every single day. People that scoff at your profession as if it’s nothing more than playing dog-catcher. Well-wishers that stand on pedestals moaning about how cruel it all is, but offering nothing more than hot air when it comes to real answers to a very real problem.

My personal favorites are the “animal lovers” that fall over themselves to rescue the yorkshire terriers and miniature pinschers that occasionally trickle into the shelter, but never seem to notice the 2+ year old mutt in the adjacent cage that is just as sweet, if not more so than the other dog that has a crowd of willing adopters and a guaranteed ticket out the door.

That reminds me, let us not forget about the pool of dimwits that only support no-kill shelters, and continually ask why the municipal shelter you work at isn’t no-kill as if it were as simple as flipping a fucking switch. (Protip: It’s easy to label yourself no-kill when you can pick and choose what comes in, and shut your doors on a whim)

Carl Frithjof Smith, After the Communion (1892)

Norman Rockwell, Barber in Shuffleton, 1950

Motley Life – Kandinsky

Le Suicide by Manet (1877)

The Lady Of Shalott. John Waterhouse. 1888.

Jean Geoffroy and a Visit Day at the Hospital, 1889

“Soir bleu”, Edward Hopper, 1914

The Palace Guard, Ludwig Deutsch, 1892

Wayne Thiebaud – Cakes (1963)

Oleksandr Murashko. Girl in a Red Hat. 1902

Vincent van Gogh, Avenue of Poplars in Autumn (1884)

Uh Oh! 2024 Health Insurance Policies Modified to EXCLUDE Coverage for War, Riot, Insurrection

Nation Hal Turner 27 January 2024 Hits: 1044

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2024 Health Insurance Policies have been Updated with NEW Exclusions & Expenses Not Covered:  “Treatment of an injury or a sickness, which is due to war, declared or undeclared, riot, or insurrection.”

Watch and listen to the 90 second video below. This is something that made me go, “Uh Ohhhhh.”

Check your insurance policies. 

Look here. This is under exclusions and expenses not covered on a 2024 Cigna health policy. Treatment of an injury or a sickness, which is due to war, declared or undeclared, riot, or insurrection.

This is not typical. In an insurance policy from United Healthcare from last year (2023) and the language typically reads like this:

What happens with my coverage under extraordinary circumstances? And it says in cases of disaster, epidemic, war, riot, insurrection, that they will do their best to provide the services you need.

But now take a look at United’s 2024 health insurance policy, another exclusion, riot, war: “We do not cover an illness, treatment or medical condition due to war declared or undeclared.”

Cigna and United aren’t the only ones that have changed their language excluding war from their policies. Anthem has also done this, and it just makes you wonder why in the world would that be the case?

https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1751258401252979143&lang=en-gb&maxWidth=560px&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fhalturnerradioshow.com%2Findex.php%2Fen%2Fnews-page%2Fnews-nation%2Fuh-oh-2024-health-insurance-policies-modified-to-exclude-coverage-for-war-riot-insurrection&sessionId=656d5d771b5607cb54a94424647165cff4a12001&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px

Hal Turner’s View:

All these wars, insurrections, riots etc. are planned well in advance by the globalist deep state. Nothing is left to chance and nothing happens by accident.

These big corporations like insurance companies would have all been given the heads up that shit is about to hit the fan in 2024 so they are covering their asses by denying you coverage when you or your property gets hurt by these planned events by the deep state.

That’s what I think is going on here. The wealthy and politically connected all talk to each other and attend meetings off the record. Davos is not the only place they talk at.

U.S. Moving Nuclear Warheads to UK over Russia Situation

World Hal Turner 27 January 2024

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The United States is moving nuclear weapons back into the United Kingdom for the first time in 15 years over a perceived “threat” from Russia.

Procurement contracts for a new facility at Royal Air Force (RAF) base at Lakenheath in Suffolk confirm that the US intends to place “Dialable” nuclear warheads from 10kt to 1.2 MT at the air base.

The US removed nuclear missiles from the UK in 2008, judging that the Cold War threat from Moscow had diminished.

The disclosure comes in the wake of warnings that NATO countries need to ready their citizens for war with Russia.

Last week, Admiral Rob Bauer, a senior NATO military official, said that private citizens should prepare for all-out war with Russia that would require wholesale change in their lives.

General Sir Patrick Sanders, the head of the British Army, went on to warn that the public would need to be called up to fight if there was war with Russia because the Army was too small. 

The British government has been the quintessential devil in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, escalating month-by-month, despite Russian warnings to stop.

In fact, it was the British Home Office that initially told Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to “ignore” Russia’s Ultimatum on February 22, 2022, wherein Russia gave Ukraine five hours to agree not to join NATO and not to station US missile defenses on Ukraine territory, because such missiles would have about a five minute flight time to Moscow.

Zelensky took the advice from the British Home Office (and from the US State Department) and ignored Russia’s ultimatum — and two hours after that Ultimatum expired, the Russian Army crossed the border into Ukraine.  ALl of this could have been avoided if Ukraine did those two simple steps.

Instead, in the two years since Russia commenced its Special Military Operation into Ukraine, upwards of five hundred thousand Ukrainian troops have been killed, and another six hundred thousand have been injured; many permanently disabled, losing limbs.

Ukraine has also permanently lost the eastern Oblasts (states) of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporozhya, and Kherson, all of which have undertaken public referendums to secede from Ukraine and accede to Russia.  Of course, Crimea also held such a Referendum back in the year 2014, and has been Russian territory since then, although the British and Americans refuse to recognize that public vote by the citizens of Crimea.

The US and UK have supplied stronger and stronger weapons to Ukraine, but despite all the weapons and monetary support, Ukraine is losing the war very badly, and recent remarks even by US and UK officials make clear “Ukraine cannot win.”

So now, the US is positioning nuclear bombs in the UK because both the US and UK know that the time is rapidly approaching for both countries to be held accountable by Russia for the war they’ve helped wage against Russia.  The British especially since they have been the most aggressive and the most militant.

The Russians, however, are not impressed.  One source in the Russian Ministry of Defense told me “The Americans can put all the nuclear bombs they want in Britain; none of them can get out of silos fast enough to be used if we launch our new SARMAT hypersonic missile.  That missile and its fifteen warheads would hit Britain in two hundred and two (202) SECONDS after it’s launched.  Those American bombs wouldn’t even get out of the silos or off the ground on planes in time.  It would already be over for the British.”

Picture of the Day

January 25, 2024

Children belonging to families of Stark and Schwartz, beet workers near Sterling, Colo. Family, including children, work from 5 A.M. to 6 P.M, with only half an hour for lunch, a work-day of over 12 hours. Sterling, Colorado, 1915

From the colonial era onwards, child labor was woven into the fabric of American society. Necessity, not malice, often defined the lives of children, who contributed to farmwork, apprenticeships, and home-based industries.

However, with the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, the nature of child labor shifted dramatically. Factories beckoned, their voracious appetites easily satiated by the nimble fingers and small statures of children. Textile mills, mines, and glass factories became the new playgrounds, echoing with the clatter of machinery and the hollow coughs of dust-choked lungs.

Children, as young as eight or ten, toiled alongside adults, often for longer hours and at considerably lower wages. Their tiny hands fed machines, navigated narrow mineshafts, and endured repetitive, soul-crushing tasks. Hazards lurked around every corner: mangled limbs caught in gears, lungs ravaged by coal dust, minds dulled by monotony. Education, play, and childhood itself were luxuries afforded to the privileged few, sacrificed at the altar of economic progress.

Yet, amid the clamor of industry, dissent arose. Progressive reformers, journalists, and photographers documented the grim realities of child labor, their poignant pictures and impassioned narratives igniting a public outcry. Lewis Hine’s haunting photographs of child mill workers, Jacob Riis’s unflinching exposés of tenement life, and Upton Sinclair’s novel “The Jungle” laid bare the human cost of unchecked industrialism. Slowly, the tide began to turn.

The first legislative steps towards reform were tentative, often hampered by powerful industrial lobbies. State-level measures emerged piecemeal, with Massachusetts enacting the first meaningful child labor law in 1874. However, the fight for national legislation proved arduous. Numerous bills were defeated, bogged down in political wrangling and concerns about economic disruption. It wasn’t until 1938, with the passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act, that comprehensive federal protection for child laborers was finally secured.

This landmark legislation established minimum wages, limited working hours, and prohibited the employment of children in hazardous occupations. While not eliminating child labor entirely, it dramatically curtailed its prevalence and ensured that generations to come would have the right to an education and a childhood free from exploitation.

 

However, the legacy of child labor continues to echo in contemporary debates. Issues of migrant children employed in agriculture, exploitative work conditions in developing countries, and the increasing presence of children in the online gig economy remind us that vigilance is still necessary. The struggle for children’s rights is an ongoing story, a testament to the enduring belief that every child deserves the chance to flourish, not toil, in the tapestry of human experience.

 

Real estate prices are going down significantly in China. What has been your observation on the real estate demand?

Real Estate in China was very undervalued in the 1970s and 1980s

Many Chinese purchased their homes for as little as 100–200 RMB a Square Meter in the mid 1980s

Gradually China began to grow and prosper and it’s real estate grew

First from 1996–2004, it rose to it’s actual value having been undervalued in the past decades

So far as good

Then from 2004–2016, it rose beyond the actual value, becoming more and more over valued

Land values rose by maybe 30% but prices rose by 80%

It became harder and harder to buy a house in the big cities especially as in China, one needed to pay 40% down payment for a mortgage unlike the standard 10% in US or 25% in India

By 2018, the Average Chinese had pooled 31% of their Savings into BLOATED PROPERTIES

THIRTY ONE PER CENT !!!!!!!

The market was still red hot and speculation was rife

A 80 SQ Meter Flat with a value of maybe 1,200,000 RMB now sold for 2.1–2.3 Million RMB

Around 170% Bloated!!!

An Economist named Ching So presented a report to the Party citing that IF THE CHINESE DIDN’T STOP THE RAMPANT SPECULATION, BY 2030 – THE TOTAL REAL ESTATE BUBBLE WOULD BE ALMOST 50 TRILLION RMB

Fifty Trillion RMB!!!!

The Chinese hastily woke up, and found they JUST had enough time to prevent a major crisis

They passed the three laws, now famous for financing of real estate

China estimated that if the companies collapsed now, they would have at least 60% Assets and the net blowout would be around 6 Trillion RMB

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So now Real Estate no longer will grow at those stupendous rates

So most people are reluctant to invest in real estate

Also since Real Estate is stagnant , most people are reluctant to invest 40% of their savings into buying a house

Hence demand is slumping

The best way to revive this is to allow the slump to bottom out, allow a few big giants to collapse, see the value of property fall lower and lower into more Value = Price territory

Then maybe China will bail out the survivors

Then people will start buying homes again

This is estimated to be in 2026–2027

Essential knots: how to tie the 20 knots you need to know

One of these knots could save your life one day.

By Tim MacWelch/ Outdoor Life |

This story was originally published by Outdoor Life.

Knot tying has always been one of those key outdoor skills that the inexperienced take for granted. The experienced outdoorsman, however, has had enough success and failure to know that there are right and wrong knots for certain jobs.

But first, it helps to know a few strange terms. Put it simply, a knot is some kind of fastening or splice made by intertwining one or more ropes or some other flexible material. After tightening a knot, it should hold on its own. A hitch is a little bit different. It’s like a knot, but it generally involves another object like a stick, a post, a ring, or occasionally another rope. Properly tied, hitches can hold their place, or they may be able to slide, depending on the hitch you choose. A lashing is like a hitch, but slightly more complex. Lashings involve the use of a rope or similar material to secure two or more objects together. To grossly oversimplify all this, the knot is just rope fastened together; the hitch is a rope fastened to an object; and a lashing is a rope fastening multiple objects together.

A good knot can save lives when you’re dealing with a survival situation, performing first aid, and when working over heights or water. But, you have to know how to tie it. So make sure you know what to do with your rope the next time you head into the wild by learning these 20 essential knots.

1. Square knot

The square knot is a classic for connecting lines and tying knots. Whether you are tying two ropes together to make a longer rope, or you are tying up a bundle of firewood to carry, the square knot is a winner. It’s much more secure and stable than its cousin the granny knot, which everyone is probably familiar with as part of tying their shoes.

How to tie a square knot:

You can tie a solid square knot by lapping one rope right over left, then underneath the other, and then tying the same again in the reverse direction—left over right and then underneath. You’ll know you did it right when the working end and standing end of each rope is side by side (not making a “cross” like a granny knot).

2. Clove hitch

The clove hitch is an easy knot to tie, and it secures a line to a tree or post quickly, but it does slip when used alone, without any other knots as a backup.

How to tie a clove hitch:

To create a clove hitch on a tree, make a loop of rope around the tree. Then make another loop and pass the free end of the rope under the second loop before tightening. To tie this one over a post or stake, just create a loop in the free end of the rope and slide it over the post. Then make another loop the same as the first. Put the second loop over the post (just above the first loop) and tighten the hitch.

3. The bowline

The bowline creates a loop at the end of a rope that cannot shrink or expand. This knot is often taught and illustrated with a poem of a rabbit coming out of the hole, hopping in front of a tree, going behind the tree, and back down his original hole.

How to tie a bowline:

Form a loop on top of the long end of the line. Pass the working end of the line up through the loop and around behind the line. Then pass the working end down through the original loop, all while maintaining the shape of the second loop you create, which becomes your bowline loop. Once the “rabbit” is back down its hole, pull the “tree” up to tighten the bowline.

4. The figure eight

The figure eight knot creates a stopper wherever you need one on a rope, though the steps are also steps you take to create several other knots.

How to tie a figure eight:

To tie a figure eight, also known as a Flemish bend, simply pass the free end of a line over itself to form a loop. Continue under and around the line, and finish the knot by passing the working end down through the original loop.

5. The sheet bend

The sheet bend is my favorite one of all, even though technically it’s a “bend”—a type of knot that connects one rope to another. I like it because it’s the best bend for tying different types of material together or joining different thicknesses of rope. This knot even joins together lines or materials that normally couldn’t be joined together because of differences in diameter.

How to tie a sheet bend:

To create a sheet bend, bend the thicker or more slippery rope into a “J” shape (like a fish hook). Then pass the other rope through the hook shape from behind, wrap it around the entire fishhook once and then tuck the smaller line between itself and the other rope. If the ropes are the same diameter and texture, the sheet bend actually resembles a square knot. To tie a sheet bend with fabric or a tarp, collect, squeeze, and shape the material into a “J” shape, and then run your rope through and around the “J.”

6. Two half hitches

You can use two half hitches to secure a line to trees or poles, or to secure the line to itself like you would tying a trucker’s hitch. A half hitch is fairly easy to tie, and I use it often to tie tarps up for shelters, or to hang up hammocks.

How to tie two half hitches:

After you wrap the rope around the standing end and through the inside of the loop created to make the first half hitch, wrap around the line the same way again to make the second half hitch. Pull it tight and you should have two half hitches, one seated next to the other. If you want added insurance, you can tie an overhand knot with the tag end of the line to keep the two half hitches from slipping.

7. Taut line hitch

The taut line hitch takes the place of a slide to tighten or loosen a loop in a line (like a tent guy line). This knot grips well as long as there is tension on the “taut” side of the loop.

How to tie a taut line hitch:

To tie the taut line hitch, create a loop by wrapping around a solid, unmoving object like a tree or tent stake. With the free end of the rope, wrap around the main line twice on the inside of the loop. Then lay the free end of the rope over the two wraps, wrap it around the main line, and draw the tag end through the loop you just created. Cinch the wraps until tight. Pull on the standing line and the taut line hitch should grip the loaded line.

8. Fisherman’s knot

True to its name, the fisherman’s knot is pretty much only good for using with fishing line.

How to tie a fisherman’s knot:

Pass the free end of the line through or around the object to be secured, for example, through the eye of a fishhook. Then, wrap the free end of the line around the other side of the line about five or six times. Pass the free end of the line through the triangular opening next to the object being secured, and then pass the free end of the line through the large loop you just created by going through the small triangle. If you are tying this one with fishing line, spit on the line before tightening to lubricate it so that the friction does not cause heat damage to the line. Tighten the knot, trim off any extra line and enjoy your day fishing.

9. Water knot

The water knot safely secures webbing, flat belts, and most types of straps together.

How to tie a water knot:

To tie the water knot, start with a loose overhand knot in the end of one strap. Pass the other strap in the opposite direction so it mirrors the route of the overhand knot on the first strap. Take the ends of the two straps and pull the knot tight. That’s it—it’s very simple and very strong.

10. Rolling hitch

The rolling hitch adds a leg to an existing line. This hitch is the basic knot behind a taut line hitch, but it can be added to any existing line. The rolling hitch was often used historically to hook more dogs to a dog sled main line.

How to tie a rolling hitch:

Wrap the free end of one rope around the main rope to create a half hitch. Make a second half hitch and then wrap over the entire knot to finish with a final half hitch to the other side from your starting place.

11. Prusik knot

The Prusik knot creates a loop that can be used as an ascender or decender. This “slide and grip” knot can also be handy for adding a loop to a rope when neither end of the rope is free.

How to tie a Prusik knot

To tie a Prusik, you’ll need a short rope and a separate long rope. Tie a loop in the short rope that is secured with a solid knot like a square knot. Now, wrap the loop around the long rope three times, making certain that each wrap lies flat against the long rope. Pass the loop of short rope under itself and pull it tight. As long as there is weight on the loop, the Prusik will grip the long rope. You can also slide the Prusik up or down the long rope by taking the weight off the loop and pushing the wraps up or down the long rope.

12. Timber hitch

The timber hitch secures a rope to an object for hauling or to act as a support.

How to tie a timber hitch:

To create a timber hitch, all you need to do is run the free end of the rope around the object, like a log, that you intend to pull. Then wrap the tag end of the rope around the inside of the loop you created four or five times. After you tighten the timber hitch so the four or five wraps are tight against the object, the constant tension will keep the hitch seated.

13. Blood knot

This little gem of a knot is used on fishing line to secure two lines together (mends a broken line or attaches leaders and tippets).

How to tie a blood knot:

You’ll start the blood knot by overlapping the two lines, and wrapping one free end around the other line five or six times. Pass the free end between the two lines. Wrap the other line the same number of times (five or six), and tuck the free end back between the two lines in the opposite direction of the other free end of the line. If using fishing line, spit on it to reduce friction damage.

14. Man harness

This crafty knot allows you to put a loop in a line anywhere along the length of a rope when neither end of the line is free to tie a loop—and you didn’t hear it from me, but a man harness is great for cheating at tug of war.

How to tie a man harness:

Gather some slack in the line and make a loop so part of the line runs through the middle of the loop. Grab the side of the loop and pull it through the gap between the line in the middle and the other side of the loop. Pull the new loop tight, and then pull the line to cinch the man harness knot. This knot can slip if there isn’t constant tension on the newly created loop, so keep something in the loop to hold it.

15. Carrick bend

This square knot alternate joins two ropes together securely, and is easier to untie than a square knot.

How to tie a carrick bend:

To tie the carrick bend, form a loop with the free end of one rope. Pass the other rope’s free end under the first loop, and then over then under as seen in the picture. Thread the free end across the loop passing under itself, and pull on both standing ends to tighten.

16. Trucker’s hitch

You don’t have to be a truck driver to have a use for this rugged hitch. The unique feature of the trucker’s hitch is it gives you a unique mechanical advantage for tightening up a line. While tying this hitch is a little complex, it’s worth the trouble if you need to tighten lines as much as possible before securing them—I use it all the time to tie down tarps or secure shifting payloads.

How to tie a trucker’s hitch:

Start off by tying a figure eight knot with a loop of the line. Then pass the free end of the line around or through whatever you’re attaching the rope to, before passing the line through the loop. Next, pull the working end tight, and secure the free end with two half hitches, just below the loop.

17. Barrel hitch

The barrel hitch has been used in sailing and construction work for centuries. It allows you to secure a bucket, barrel or other cylindrical object to lift it in a well-balanced position.

How to tie a barrel hitch:

Place your barrel or other object to be lifted on top of your rope. Then tie an overhand knot across the top of the barrel. Open up the overhand knot until it wraps around the top sides of the barrel. Tie the ends of the rope together with a square knot and then then lift. This knot makes a fine bucket handle when the wire handle finally breaks off.

Safety warning: For safety and stability while hoisting barrels, the rope around the barrel needs to be high above the center of gravity on the barrel, but pose no danger of slipping off the top of the barrel. FYI, beer has an excellent center of gravity.

18. Sheepshank

This knot seems half magic trick, half practical knot, but it shortens a line without cutting the line. This knot keeps our long ropes in one piece, despite our miscalculations in the field. I will use this one on bear bags, when the line is too long, but I don’t want to cut it.

How to tie a sheepshank:

To tie a sheepshank, fold the rope to the new length you need. Create a half hitch in one end of the continuing rope, and drop it over the nearby loop. Make a half hitch in the other standing end, drop it over its adjacent loop, and then tighten the whole thing slowly.

19. Tripod lashing

The tripod lashing is commonly used for shelters and to support camp items, like a cooking pot over a fire.

How to tie a tripod lashing:

Start by collecting three poles that of almost identical length and thickness and lay them on the ground side-by-side. Tie a clove hitch to one of the end poles, and then wrap around all of the poles four, five, or six times. Now, wrap line between the poles–twice between each one–working back toward the original knot or hitch you tied. Finish the lashing by tying the tag end of the line to the tag end of your original knot. Spread the legs of the tripod and use it in your camp for something handy.

20. Square lashing

The square lashing has been used to build everything from camp chairs to towers and bridges – but you can also use it to secure two poles together.

How to tie a square lashing:

Tie a clove hitch to one of the poles, near the place where the two poles cross. Then wrap your line around the junction of the two poles, going under the lower pole and over the top pole. Spiral outward with these wraps five or six times. Next, wrap between the poles, biting onto the previous wrappings to tighten them. Finally, use a square snot to tie the free end of the rope to the free end from the clove hitch that started this whole lashing. Easy, right?

 

Do Americans realize how much worse a war with China would be for their country than for the Chinese?

China is very fair.

You Yanks kill 1 thousand Chinese in China, they will kill 100% kill 1 thousand Americans in mainland USA!

No more no less!

And they won’t start first.

But if you murder 1 million Chinese in China, I promise you they will murder a million yanks in the U.S. mainland.

Don’t even doubt it.

 

Five Variables Defining Our Future

By Pepe Escobar

In the late 1930s, with WWII in motion, and only months before his assassination, Leon Trotsky already had a vision of what the future Empire of Chaos would be up to.

“For Germany it was a question of ‘organizing Europe’. The United States must ‘organize’ the world. History is bringing mankind face to face with the volcanic eruption of American imperialism…Under one or another pretext and slogan the United States will intervene in the tremendous clash in order to maintain its world dominion.”

We all know what happened next. Now we are under a new volcano that even Trotsky could not have identified: a declining United States faced with the Russia-China “threat”. And once again the entire planet is affected by major moves in the geopolitical chessboard.

The Straussian neocons in charge of US foreign policy could never accept Russia-China leading the way towards a multipolar world. For now we have NATO’s perpetual expansionism as their strategy to debilitate Russia, and Taiwan as their strategy to debilitate China.

Yet in these past two years, the vicious proxy war in Ukraine only accelerated the transition towards a multipolar, Eurasia-driven world order.

With the indispensable help of Prof. Michael Hudson , let’s briefly recap the 5 key variables that are conditioning the current transition.

Losers Don’t Dictate Terms

1.The stalemate: That’s the new, obsessive US narrative on Ukraine – on steroids. Confronted with the upcoming, cosmic NATO humiliation in the battlefield, the White House and the State Dept. had to – literally – improvise.

Moscow though is unfazed. The Kremlin has set the terms a long time ago: total surrender, and no Ukraine as part of NATO. To “negotiate”, from the Russia point of view, is to accept these terms.

And if the deciding powers in Washington opt for turbo-charging the weaponization of Kiev, or to unleash “the most heinous provocations in order to change the course of events”, as asserted this week by the head of the SVR, Sergey Naryshkin, fine.

The road ahead will be bloody. In case the usual suspects sideline popular Zaluzhny and install Budanov as the head of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the AFU will be under total control of the CIA – and not NATO generals, as it’s still the case.

This might prevent a military coup against the sweaty sweatshirt puppet in Kiev. Yet things will get much uglier. Ukraine will go Total Guerrilla, with only two objectives: to attack Russian civilians and civilian infrastructure. Moscow, of course, is fully aware of the dangers.

Meanwhile, chatterbox overdrive in several latitudes suggest that NATO may even be getting ready for a partition of Ukraine. Whatever form that might take, losers do not dictate conditions: Russia does.

As for EU politicos, predictably, they are in total panic, believing that after mopping up Ukraine, Russia will become even more of a “threat” to Europe. Nonsense. Not only Moscow couldn’t give a damn to what Europe “thinks”; the last thing Russia wants or needs is to annex Baltic or Eastern European hysteria. Moreover, even Jens Stoltenberg admitted “NATO sees no threat from Russia toward any of its territories.”

2.BRICS: Since the start of 2024, this is The Big Picture: the Russian presidency of BRICS+ – which translates as a particle accelerator towards multipolarity. The Russia-China strategic partnership will be increasing actual production, in several fields, while Europe plunges into depression, unleashed by the Perfect Storm of sanctions blowback against Russia and German de-industrialization. And it’s far from over, as Washington is also ordering Brussels to sanction China across the spectrum.

As Prof. Michael Hudson frames it, we are right in the middle of “the whole split of the world and the turning towards China, Russia, Iran, BRICS”, united in “an attempt to reverse, undo, and roll back the whole colonial expansion that’s occurred over the last five centuries.”

Or, as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov defined at the UN Security Council this process of BRICS

leaving Western bullies behind, the changing world order is like “a playground scuffle – which the West is losing.”

Bye Bye, Soft Power

3.The Lone Emperor: The “stalemate” – actually losing a war – is directly linked to its compensation: the Empire squeezing and shrinking a vassalized Europe. But even as you exercise nearly total control over all these relatively wealthy vassals, you lose the Global South, for good: if not all their leaders, certainly the overwhelming majority of public opinion. The icing in the toxic cake is to support a genocide followed by the whole planet in real time. Bye bye, soft power.

4. dedollarization: All across the Global South, they did the math: if the Empire and its EU vassals can just steal over $300 billion in Russian foreign reserves – from a top nuclear/military power – they can do it to anyone, and they will.

The key reason Saudi Arabia, now a BRICS 10 member, is being so meek on the genocide in Gaza is because their hefty US dollar reserves are hostage to the Hegemon.

And yet the caravan moving away from the US dollar will only keep growing in 2024: that will depend on crucial crossover deliberations inside the Eurasia Economic Union (EAEU) and BRICS 10.

5.Garden and jungle: What Putin and Xi have essentially been telling the Global South – including the energy-rich Arab world – is quite simple. If you want improved trade and economic growth, who’re you gonna link to?

So we’re back to the “garden and jungle” syndrome – first coined by imperial Britain orientalist Rudyard Kipling. Both the British concept of “white man’s burden” and the American concept of “Manifest Destiny” derive from the “garden and jungle” metaphor.

NATOstan, and hardly all of it, is supposed to be the garden. The Global South is the jungle. Michael Hudson again: as it stands, the jungle is growing, but the garden isn’t growing “because its philosophy is not industrialization. Its philosophy is to make monopoly rents, meaning rents that you make in your sleep without producing value. You just have a privilege of a right to collect money on a monopoly technology that you have.”

The difference now, compared to all those decades ago of an imperial free lunch, is “an immense shift of technological advance”, away from North America and the US, to China, Russia and selected nodes across Asia.

Forever Wars. And No Plan B

If we combine all these variants – stalemate; BRICS; the Lone Emperor; de-dollarization; garden and jungle – in search of the most probable scenario ahead, it’s easy to see that the only “way out” for a cornered Empire is, what else, the default modus operandi: Forever Wars.

And that brings us to the current American aircraft carrier

in West Asia, totally out of control yet always supported by the Hegemon, aiming for a multi-front war against the whole Axis of Resistance: Palestine, Hezbollah, Syria, Iraqi militias, Ansarullah in Yemen, and Iran.

In a sense we’re back to the immediate post-9/11, when what the neocons really wanted was not Afghanistan, but the invasion of Iraq: not only to control the oil (which in the end they didn’t) but, in Michael Hudson’s analysis, “to essentially create America’s foreign legion in the form of ISIS* and al-Qaeda** in Iraq.” Now, “America has two armies that it’s using to fight in the Near East, the ISIS*/al-Qaeda** foreign legion (Arabic-speaking foreign legion) and the Israelis.”

Hudson’s intuition of ISIS* and Israel as parallel armies is priceless: they both fight the Axis of Resistance, and never (italics mine) fight each other. The Straussian neocon plan, as tawdry as it gets, essentially is a variant of the “fight to the last Ukrainian”: to “fight to the last Israeli” on the way to the Holy Grail, which is to bomb, bomb, bomb Iran (copyright John McCain) and provoke regime change.

As much as the “plan” did not work in Iraq or Ukraine, it won’t work against the Axis of Resistance.

What Putin, Xi and Raisi have been explaining to the Global South, explicitly or in quite subtle ways, is that we are right in the crux of a civilizational war.

Michael Hudson has done a lot to bring down such an epic struggle to practical terms. Are we heading towards what I described as techno-feudalism

– which is the AI format of rent-seeking turbo-neoliberalism? Or are we heading to something similar to the origins of industrial capitalism?

Michael Hudson characterizes an auspicious horizon as “raising living standards instead of imposing IMF financial austerity on the dollar block”: devising a system that Big Finance, Big Bank, Big Pharma and what Ray McGovern memorably coined as the MICIMATT (military-industrial-congressional-intelligence-media-academia-think tank complex) cannot control. Alea jacta est.

* ISIS (also known as ISIL/IS) is a terrorist group banned in Russia.

** A terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many other countries.

 

 

China exceeded it Q3 2023 growth to 4.9% from the projection earlier of 4.6% and year to date growth of 6.0%, a growth figure that the U.S. can only salivate. Does that disappoint the China haters and doubters to no end?

Yes

But they are now quiet as a mouse!

Hiding and pretend nothing happened!

The China haters and Chinese doubters with many of them here in QUORA has been predicting doom and gloom on China for years. And made 100 collapse projection!

Let me help them learn the truth that these U.S. and IS dogs hate to hear.

In 2023 China grew 5.2%. And has an official inflation rate of 0.2%. That means Chinese standard of living grew by a full 5.0%!

US GDP grew by 2.4% but has an official inflation rate of 3.4%. So effectively the U.S. economy dwindled by -1.0% in 2023.

UK economy contracted by -3.0% and has an official inflation rated of 4.06% hence the real GDP of U.S. deteriorated by a whopping -7.06%

And guess what BBC, CNN and Fox had a field day claiming China’s economy is in trouble! Hahahaha and fools like those haters actually believe in them!

What’s something you recently learned that shocked you?

Here are 5 things I’ve learned recently that shocked me and impressed me, now let me share with you:

1.CIA revealed a “heart attack” gun in 1975

[1]. A battery operated gun which fired a dart of frozen water & shellfish toxin. Once inside the body it would melt leaving only a small red mark on the victim where it entered. The official cause of death would always be a heart attack.

---

2. Eli Whitney’s creation of the cotton gin

[2] gave the South enough economic power to be able to start the Civil War, and his creation of interchangeable parts for rifles gave the North the manufacturing power to win the Civil War.

Although Whitney’s invention only involved a few hundred kilograms of matter, it shaped the future of a nation and its people; it is rare that a single contrivance has such a profound social effect.

---

3. A British plan to assassinate Hitler

[3] was ultimately called off because they thought keeping him in power would help the war end faster given his terrible decision making and strategy.

4. A research found that

[4]the most common last name among American physicians is no longer “Smith”, it’s “Patel”.

---

5. In the Netherlands, if you die and have no next of kin, friends or family to attend your funeral, they will send a poet who shall read a custom poem for you at your funeral so that you won’t be alone that day.

 

What’s the most obnoxious thing you’ve seen someone do at the airport?

My sister and I were transiting Dallas airport en route to New Orleans. My sister is 100% deaf and lip reads. I walk with a cane.

We had arrived at a different terminal and although our bags were through checked we had to pass through immigration and travel to a different terminal and pass through security there. Things were going well until we got to the security check. My sister put her hand luggage on the belt to the scanner as did I. My sister entered the body scanner and upon exit one of the staff started yelling at her. I was still to enter the scanner so was unable to help other than to yell “That is my sister. She is deaf.” I was told to “Butt out lady, none of your business.” The one doing the yelling just increased the volume and then some more. I again called out that she is deaf, she cannot hear you. As I was exiting the scanner I saw him grab her arm and start pulling her. I lost it and tried to get to her side. Three large males blocked me. By now you would have thought a full-blown incident was going down.

I was yelling I must help my sister. Why have they taken her. She will be scared. She is deaf. Help me. Help her. I heard a voice at my side. “Did you just say she is deaf” It was a supervisor. “I said yes she lip reads” This man walked past the guards blocking me and went to my sister who was sobbing. I saw him touch her arm and get herto look at him and then he spoke slowly and carefully. She became calmer and after a few minutes I was allowed to pass and join her and we were sent on our way.

No explanation. No apology.

UK MP Tim Loughton initiated a debate in UK Parliament. What if China requests extradition of UK politicians & human rights advocates who are disclosed in the trial of Hongkong #1 traitor Jimmy Lai? What if China requests Intl Criminal Police Organization to arrest British citizens?

UK knows HK laws well because HK runs the common laws of former coloniser UK. UK & Hongkong had an extradition treaty. UK suspended it in 2020, after the 2019 HK coup has failed. The coup was plotted & led by USA+UK.

How many British politicians & citizens are involved in HK conspiracy? Quite a few.

In an earlier post (link below), I talked about USA+UK interfering Hongkong judiciary system which is currently prosecuting HK’s #1 traitor Jimmy Lai (黎智英）. J Lai’s aide Mark Simon was an ex-CIA & naval intelligence agent. UK & USA are co-conspirators.

In this post, we look at how an intl crime works. (1) propaganda (2) lobby/bribery/collusion of foreign politicians. Both involve lots of (illicit) money.

Mark Simon helped J Lai grow from broke to multi millionaire “overnight”. J Lai ran a multi-million media called Apple Daily（苹果日报) which spread propaganda. At the heat of the coup, Apple spread disinformation daily, if not hourly. … control of people’s info/mind is important for a successful coup.

intl crime – lobby/bribery/collusion of foreign politicians

There was an NGO called Hongkong Watch (香港监察）re human rights. The founder is Benedict Rogers. UK MP Lord David Alton is a patron. Luke de Pulford has connection too.

J Lai paid Andy Li $500,000 & asked him meet D Alton & other MPs in Conservative party incl de Pulford. At the end, a total of 19 UK MPs “monitored” HK’s 2019 district election (translation: to make sure HK traitors win the (fraud) election so as to control district council).

Other than Alton & de Pulford, Andy Li also met Andrew Heyn of UK’s Consul General in HK, Anson Chan (陈方安生 HK #2 traitor) as well as US senator Rick Scott.

Martin Lee (李柱铭 HK #3 traitor) & TW Chan (陈梓华) got to meet Benedict Rogers.

illicit money in an intl crime

In July 2019, a conspiracy was plotted. It was nicknamed zhibao (支爆) (short for 支那爆炸 literal translation: China explosion).

Lawyer TW Chan asked J Lai to fund the propaganda in foreign countries, so as to ask foreign countries to pressure & sanction China incl Hongkong.

Andy Li’s whatsapp showed Martin Lee asked if J Lai could first lend $5 million. J Lai promised $1.56 million for foreign media outlets thru 2 of his companies, Dico & Lais Hotel in Canada.

TW Chan knew Mark Simon. M Simon promised to fund the “explosion” scheme upfront, but the money must be reimbursed later.

TW Chan asked Andy Li to organise a group called “Stand with HK (重光团队)” & take instructions from J Lai.

Andy Li raised fund 3 times & got $24.4 million.

For 3 times, Andy Li spent $9.8 million to publish seditious articles in 20+ countries eg USA, UK, Germany, Canada, Japan etc. And in 9 overseas media eg Guardian, Washington Post, Japan’s NHK etc.

J Lai pre-paid 6 foreign media at $3.54 million.

A columnist named Jack H (not sure the spelling of his last name) worked at J Lai’s Apple Daily. Thru Jack’s UK bank account, $3.2 million was deposited to Andy Li’s account in UK.

The fund that was raised by Andy Li was used to reimburse M Simon’s foundation.

In order not to disclose his identity, Andy Li transferred it to Taiwan. From Taiwan, $1.65 million reimbursed J Lai. M Simon reported to J Lai that the entire loan has been reimbursed. (Try not to add up the figures. Some details have been skipped. I just report it as is.)

In Aug-Nov 2019, J Lai paid Chan $174,000 & asked him set up street booths to do propaganda.

the scheme was quite successful

The 2019 HK riot was almost out-of-control. China took action …

In Mar 2020, China indicated it would hand down a HK security law which would take effect on 2020/6/30. China would “forgive” those who stopped treason before the deadline.

China’s warning did not stop J Lai from lobbying foreign countries. Though it has stopped HK’s #2 & #3 traitors who announced retirement from politics.

After the HK Security Law is in effect, Andy Li fled to Taiwan with 11 others. His boat drifted into China’s territory & thus was arrested by China.

a state witness against J Lai

Andy Li was remorseful & said in HK court “I would like to say I am sorry” with a 90 degree bow to the judge.

It was Andy Li, TW Chan & many of Apple’s managers who turn to become a state witness against J Lai that we see the involvement of foreign countries & the illicit money.

That is why, in an earlier post, USA+UK demanded HK release J Lai unconditionally & threatened to sanction HK judges. They even complained to UN Human Rights Council claiming that HK security law has violated J Lai’s civil & political rights. … UK is trying to protect his politicians from extradition & arrest by ICPO. Haha.

Koubeba Syriani

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, quartered
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 pound lean ground veal or beef
• 1/2 cup ground almonds
• 1/2 cup ground walnuts, + 20 walnut halves
• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 1/3 cup toasted bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup olive oil, + more for brushing
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 20 pitted prunes
• 1 cup chicken or beef stock
• 2/3 cup dry red wine
• 2 to 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Instructions

1. In a food processor or blender, combine the onion, chopped parsley and lemon juice and pulse to chop.
2. In a large bowl, combine the onion mixture, meat, almonds, walnuts, pine nuts, bread crumbs, oil, egg, pepper or pepper flakes and salt and knead into a homogenous mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.
3. Heat oven to 450 degrees F.
4. Shape 1/4-cup portions of the meat mixture into oval rolls and arrange in a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Brush the rolls with oil and bake for 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, insert 1 walnut half into each prune (you may need to halve the larger walnuts).
6. Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.
7. Arrange the stuffed prunes between the meat rolls, add the stock, wine and 1 to 2 tablespoons of the vinegar and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more. Baste with the pan juices, turn off the oven and leave the dish in the oven for 5 minutes.
8. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings with vinegar, salt and/or pepper or pepper flakes. Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve.

Yield: 4 servings (of about 3 meat rolls each)

 

What’s the fastest you’ve wiped a smirk off of someone’s face?

I had some druggie horse people rent the house next to me. It was on 4 acres. Around 1 acre was fenced in. It was so thick you about couldn’t walk through it. They put 7 horses in that area. It was up wind of my house so all you could smell was horse chit.

I complained to them.

I was told if I didn’t like it I needed to move to town. I called the dept of agriculture. They said there was no limit to the number they could put in the area. The owner of the place was a friend from highschool that lived half way across the country. I called him. He said they didn’t pay half the time.

I asked if he would sell the place. He agreed to so I bought it . I paid cash so the Tennants had no idea.

I then went to them and complained about the smell again. I was told to get out of their yard. I said soon as the horses were gone I would. She called the law and told them I was trespassing and made threats to them.

I had the camera on my phone on just in case something happened like this lol live feed to Facebook. The officers took their side and they were laughing at me . I was told to leave by the deputies.

They then asked if she would like to press charges. She said yes and started rattling off lies about what I had done.

I let her tell her stories then I pulled out an envelope I had in my pocket. It has the deed to the house and land.

I then logged into Facebook and showed the officers the video.

The smiles and laughs were gone in seconds.

I then said I would be filing for an eviction the next day.

I did and moved my daughter and grand kids in . Been nice every since.

Never Count On Money Not In the Hand

January 25, 2024

It’s tempting, isn’t it? To gaze at the horizon of future fortunes, squinting through wishful thinking to count imaginary chickens nestled in speculative eggs. We do it with inheritances, tax returns, that “big idea” just waiting to explode. We tally future salary raises, potential bonuses, and the nebulous windfall from that distant relative we barely know.

But here’s the harsh truth, friends: money you don’t have isn’t yours. No matter how glittering the mirage, how convincing the whispers of “soon,” present reality trumps future possibility.

Why? Because life, as they say, has a way of intervening. That inheritance could get bogged down in legal red tape. The “sure thing” investment turns sour. The big break fizzles. And suddenly, our meticulously counted chickens morph into dust devils dancing on the financial plains.

• The friend who is supposed to repay your loan turns out to be a broke loser
• Your income tax refund turns out to be a lot less than expected
• A buyer backs out of buying your item for sale
• Your car needs repair out of the blue, and it costs a lot
• Your work bonus turns out to be misleading and not worth the trouble
• The little brother gets arrested, loses his job, and now needs you to loan him money

So, let’s break the habit of phantom fortune counting. Let’s swap daydreams for reality checks and embrace a fundamental truth: your financial security rests on what you have, not what you hope to have.

Here’s how to shift your mindset:

• Focus on the controllable: Instead of dreaming of a potential windfall, channel your energy into building your present financial well-being. Invest in skills, pay down debt, build an emergency fund. These actionable steps, not hopeful wishes, pave the path to real prosperity.
• Live within your means: Don’t spend money you haven’t earned. This may seem obvious, but the allure of future riches can make us splurge on the “now,” setting ourselves up for disappointment and potential hardship later.
• Appreciate the present: Gratitude for what you do have shifts your focus from the elusive “what if” to the concrete “what is.” A healthy dose of contentment can make you far richer than any imaginary windfall.
• Plan for the future, but realistically: Yes, set goals and plan for your future financial needs. But keep those plans grounded in present realities, making adjustments as needed. Remember, even the best-laid plans can encounter unexpected turbulence.

Life is full of possibilities, some more likely than others. But building true financial security requires building on solid ground, not the ever-shifting sands of speculation. Focus on the present, make smart choices, and watch your real, tangible prosperity bloom, one disciplined step at a time.

 

Has being a polite customer in a stressful situation ever resulted in unexpectedly exceptional service or special treatment for you?

I’ve posted this somewhere before, but a number of years ago I was in Jakarta, Indonesia and due to fly back to the UK that evening on Singapore airlines.

When I went to check in and get my boarding pass (yes this was back when you actually got your pass at the check in desk) there were a lot of angry people making a fuss and the young Indonesian woman at the desk looked thoroughly upset. It was clear that she wasn’t far from tears.

I speak Indonesian and when I got the chance asked what the problem was. She said that an earlier flight had been cancelled and that as a result the flight I was due to catch was overbooked. She explained that she had to bump a number of people and knew that it was going to be problematic. The noisy, unhappy people milling around her desk proved that.

I said that I’d be happy to be bumped to a flight the next day if it would help her as I had no real need to catch that flight.

She thanked me profusely and asked me to take a seat for a while and she would sort out the details once she had dealt with the other customers.

I took a seat nearby and read my book for a while until a second young woman in a Singapore airlines uniform approached me and said “thank you for helping out Mr Graham, but we’ve managed to find you a seat for the flight tonight. I hope you don’t mind that the only remaining seat is in first class.”

So for the sake of being polite and offering to help an upset young woman with an awkward situation, I ended up in first class on an eighteen hour flight being looked after like a king. It seemed that the flight attendants had been told I was a “special guest “ and nothing was too much trouble for them.