When I was in my “lost in the wilderness” period in my life (After I joined MAJestic, but not yet trained at China Lake, I wandered about.) we were living on a farm in Yanciville, NC. (I don’t know if I spelled that name right.)
And there was a guy (named Holt) who introduced us to the Datura plant.
Datura is a genus of nine species of highly poisonous, vespertine–flowering plants belonging to the nightshade family (Solanaceae).[1] They are commonly known as thornapples or jimsonweeds, but are also known as devil’s trumpets[2] (not to be confused with angel’s trumpets, which are placed in the closely related genus Brugmansia). Other English common names include moonflower, devil’s weed, and hell’s bells.
All species of Datura are extremely poisonous and potentially psychoactive, especially their seeds and flowers, which can cause respiratory depression, arrhythmias, fever, delirium, hallucinations, anticholinergic syndrome, psychosis, and even death if taken internally.[3]
Due to their effects and symptoms, Datura species have occasionally been used not only as poisons, but also as hallucinogens by various groups throughout history.[4][5]
Traditionally, their psychoactive administration has often been associated with witchcraft and sorcery or similar practices in many cultures, including the Western world.[5][6][7] Certain common Datura species have also been used ritualistically as entheogens by some Native American groups.[8][9]
Non-psychoactive use of plants in the genus is usually done for medicinal purposes, and the alkaloids present in some species have long been considered traditional medicines in both the New and Old Worlds due to the presence of the alkaloids scopolamine and atropine, which are also produced by Old World plants such as Hyoscyamus niger, Atropa belladonna, and Mandragora officinarum.
And we all tried this old fashioned remedy using this dangerous plant.
We soaked the roots of the plant in water for a week, and then drank the water.
I know it was terribly stupid, but we were young and in our 20’s and we believed Holt.
The effect was that every thing turned very blue and soft to us. We heard the twinkling of soft bells, and when we went to sleep later on the night, had very vivid dreams.
I would NEVER do that again. And I DO NOT suggest anyone duplicate our stupidity.
…
But the point of this story is that …
- Well-meaning friends can put you in life threatening situations.
- When you are in your 20s you can do very stupid things.
- Whatever the experience was, it was not worth the risk of death.
And so, I ask everyone to heed my story and pay attention to what might transpire in your own lives.
Today…
Huawei unveiled their new smartphone, which is undeniably impressive and packed with numerous technological breakthroughs. How many of you are keeping tabs on this development, and what are your thoughts on Huawei’s achievements with this phone?
I am following it closely; the Mate 60 Pro is just the first step.
Over the next decade, I expect China to launch many new products based on new technologies. Most of these products will be launched in BRICS markets instead of the G7 nations.
The West is poised to feel what it is like to live in a a “banana republic.”
Granny’s Old-Fashioned Bread Pudding
with Vanilla Sauce
Ingredients
Bread Pudding
- 1 pound French bread, cubed
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 2 cups milk
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, slightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Sauce
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Bread Pudding
- Combine bread and raisins in a large bowl.
- Combine milk and 1/4 cup butter in a 1 quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat until butter is melted.
- Pour milk mixture over bread; let stand for 10 minutes.
- Stir in all remaining pudding ingredients. Pour into greased 1 1/2 quart casserole.
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until set in center.
Vanilla Sauce
- Combine all sauce ingredients except vanilla in 1-quart saucepan.Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens and comes to a full boil (5 to 8 minutes).
- Stir in vanilla extract and walnuts*, if using.
To serve
- Spoon warm pudding into individual dessert dishes; serve with sauce.
- Store refrigerated.
Notes
I usually serve this without the walnuts, but sprinkle them over individual servings if anyone likes walnuts.
Niger Raises Uranium Price From €0.80/kg to €200/kg
Niger Raises Uranium Price From €0.80/kg to €200/kg – In a groundbreaking development that signals a seismic shift in the global resource market, Niger, a prominent player in the uranium industry, has reportedly taken a bold step towards securing fair compensation for its invaluable natural resource, uranium.
Multiple reports suggest that Niger has substantially increased the price of its uranium, skyrocketing it from a mere €0.80 per kilogram to €200 per kilogram.
This remarkable decision underscores a burgeoning determination among African nations to break free from historical imbalances and demand equitable remuneration for their vital contributions to the global economy.
According to the World Nuclear Association (WNA), Niger is the world’s seventh-largest uranium producer.
The radioactive metal is the most widely used fuel for nuclear energy. It is also utilised in cancer treatment, naval propulsion, and nuclear weapons.
Uranium prices increased slightly in the aftermath of the military coup in Niger that saw the ousting of President Mohamed Bazoum, with many analysts forecasting larger gains in the future. For instance, Ben Godwin, head of analysis at London-based Prism Political Risk Management, said that current events in Niger, which produces about 4 percent of the world’s uranium supply, could be critical to Europe.
“It is certainly a topic of great interest in the moment, particularly as uranium markets are very, very tight at the moment,” he said.
“Demand has been going up over the last few years, and this year, we’ve seen the uranium spot price go up by nearly 40 percent year to date.”
Does the US believe that China is powerless to attack the US mainland if it attacks China first?
The Pentagon understands the true and real abilities that China possess.
There is absolutely no questions regarding whether or not China can attack the United States mainland. The answer is affirmative. China has numerous weapon systems designed to acquire, target, stealthy evade and strike with great accuracy targets within the United States geographical landmass.
This has been proved. Demonstrated beyond any question of doubt, and is known to be stockpiled in enormous quantities.
The Pentagon believes that China is capable of destroying targets within the United States without problem or interference.
…
That being said. What does the “government” think?
I’m sure that President Biden has his own points of view…
I’m sure that key and influential members of the US Senate has their ideas as well…
And since they will be the ones who will decide whether China shall use these weapons systems on American cities, perhaps we need to listen to what their thoughts are.
One way is to go though the people that elected them to office, and ask those people what they think.
But, you know, most are going through the “trials” of being an American. So perhaps the smarter thing to do is ask a more diverse cross section of the American population and see what they think…
My guess is that these people would have a diverse opinion that would be heavily influenced by their social media of choice. So, if you want some real unbiased opinion of what Americans think, perhaps you should visit the more rural areas…
And their opinion is “China ain’t gonna do shit. We’ll kick their ass!”.
And so, to answer the question…
- Yes. China is fully capable of attacking the United States.
- But Americans are not worried because…
IRAN’S VICTORY! China Takes Over Iran’s $2.7 Billion Strategic Project | Break US Sanctions!
The United States has long imposed a series of sanctions on Iran, including restricting oil exports and cutting Iran off from the international financial system.
This has greatly affected Iran’s economy and international status. In order to break through US sanctions, Iran has been working hard. Recently, Iran became a member of the BRICS as it wished.
In order to express its sincere desire to its Eastern partners, Iran signed an infrastructure agreement with China immediately after the BRICS summit ended. According to the agreement, Iran will invest at least US$2.7 billion in the expansion of the international airport, and Chinese companies have successfully become the sole builders of the project.
However, what is most concerning is that this time Iran’s $2.7 billion infrastructure cooperation with China will use a special payment method.
From an analysis point of view, the payment method reached by Iran and China not only effectively got rid of the sanctions of the United States, but may even accelerate the process of “de-dollarization”, which made President Biden feel very panicked.
So, what exactly happened?
Why does Elon Musk blame a Los Angeles-based school for turning his transgender “woke” and making her hate him?
It’s kind of a crazy story.
One of those stories that seem almost surreal.
But essentially, Elon Musk sent his children to the finest schools money could buy. Only to discover, much to his chagrin, that such schools are rather progressive.
[1] Now his oldest son suddenly isn’t his son anymore, but his daughter. And she self-identifies as a “communist” and hates Musk for “being rich”.
This is where the whole “campaign against wokeness” comes from, for Musk — it’s a personal vendetta of sorts. This is why he bought up Twitter in the first place; because ‘the woke’ have gotten to his own family, and he resents it. I’m not entirely sure it’s this school in particular that turned his child transgender, however — the school boasts several famous alumni, among them Jack Black. And Jack Black is pretty much the bloke-iest bloke to ever bloke around.
Either way, Elon Musk decided that schools pushing woke narratives turned his own child against him, brainwashing her. He’s upset. I kind of get it. I would be, too. Change is scary. And when someone hates you to the point of legally petitioning for a name change (from Musk to Wilson, the last name of his ex-wife), that’s rather awful.
Anyway, it’s the school’s fault, not Musk’s. And now, the wider issue Musk identified, is the the type of policies peddled at schools and campuses in general. The left-wing ideologies, the gender-bending, the overly progressive attitude towards pretty much everything. I’ve never given much thuoight to what started Elon’s crusade against wokeness… but now we know the answer. Now we know what started it all.
The Death of Disney – Narrated by A.I David Attenborough
Sir David Attenborough narrates the rise and fall of Mickey Mouse (A.I parody).
As a police officer, have you ever received an unusual ‘thank you’ for taking care of someone?
Around 6 months after I finished field training, I was working a night shift and was dispatched to an animal cruelty call. Arriving at the home,I was met by a woman and her 4 year old son,both in tears. In this line of work, you quickly become accustomed to dealing with upset people, it’s just a part of the job. I introduced myself to both of them and listened as the mother explained the situation to me.
Arriving home from work, she and her son had parked in the driveway and walked to the side door of the house where they found the little boy’s 4 month old kitten lying on the steps. The kitten had been skinned by someone, and carefully placed on the steps to be noticed immediately. Being a cat person myself, my heart ached for this little boy. Not only was his kitten dead, it had been killed on purpose by someone and carefully skinned then left on display for maximum shock value! I took a report on the incident and then I helped the little boy bury his dead kitten in his back yard, fashioning a little cross out of some sticks.
There were really no leads of any kind on who may have perpetrated this horrible crime. I had the 911 telecommunicator search for any similar crimes in the area that had been reported recently and had no luck. I knew that the chance of finding out who did this was slim to none, but promised the little boy that I would do everything in my power to find and punish those responsible. Before clearing the call, I gave the little fella a tour of my patrol car, letting him play with the lights and siren. I always kept some stickers and stuffed animals in my trunk for situations just like this, and I let him choose a couple stickers and an animal.
About two weeks later, my Lieutenant called me in to his office after shift briefing. On his desk was a thank you card and a picture of a kitten that had been colored for me. My Lieutenant explained that the lady and little boy from the animal cruelty call had visited the office and left the items for me earlier that afternoon. It warmed my heart to receive this heartfelt thanks from them.
Maybe a month or so later, I answered a call about someone throwing a kitten out of a car window. Arriving on that scene, I found the kitten on the side of the road amazingly uninjured. Normally on a call like this we would turn the animal over to animal control, but I had an idea. I put the kitten in my patrol car and drove towards the little boy’s house, hoping that since it was a Saturday I would find them at home. I was in luck! Before showing the kitten to the little boy, I spoke with his mother to make sure she was OK with it. She agreed, so I got the kitten out of the car and presented it to the little boy. His eyes were the size of dinner plates when he saw the kitten! Both mother and son thanked me profusely and I left knowing that I had made that little boy happy.
It is situations like this that made being a law enforcement officer one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
“Nuclear war between U.S. and Russia is inevitable” – Russian General | Redacted with Clayton Morris
Retired Major General Alexander Vladimirov, who wrote Russia’s three volume book called the ‘General Theory of War,’ says the moment war broke out in Ukraine is the moment that nuclear war with the West became inevitable.
Why is everyone talking about the G20 Summit?
The biggest point on every media outlet outside India is
WHY IS XI JINGPING BOYCOTTING THE G20?
That’s the only thing that has made the G20 summit newsworthy so far
In India locally – the G20 Summit isnt even the top news
It’s the renaming of India to BHARAT and Modi hiding slums with green posters or something like that
Every major outlet is only discussing that one thing on the G20
Why is Xi Jingping not attending?
Some say he has kidney ailments, Some say he fears CPC revolt, Some say Putin and he plan a major meeting and some others say something else
All of it nonsense of course
The G20 Summit will not make a splash unless it becomes G21 which means inclusion of the African Union
Li Qiang will support the proposal wholeheartedly as will Lavrov and i am sure so shall Modi
Then the G20 may draw some traction
Right now nobody is talking about it at all
Douglas Macgregor: What A Deep Penetration!
What are the gayest things I should avoid?
According to my homophobic father?
There was an entire list.
- Shorts. Invented by gay men so that they could check out men’s legs.
- Football. All that back slapping and hugging when they score a goal. They’re all closet <insert homophobic slur here>.
- Rugby. The scrum? Closet <insert homophobic slur here>, the lot of ‘em.
- Art. They’re all <insert homophobic slur here>.
- Actors. They’re all <insert homophobic slur here>. Putting on wigs and make-up – sends them “funny”.
- Having female friends. Women are for looking at and for having sex with, not being friends with.
- Wearing your watch on the right wrist. I never learned why.
- Anything pink.
- Looking at your nails “funny”. (This translated to holing your hand out, flat palm facing away from you, fingers straight).
- Cooking.
- Baking.
- Garlic. The French use it a lot, and we all know the French are all <insert homophobic slur here>.
- The French. A special rung of gay was reserved for the French (yes, the entire population) in his head. Apparently the women were gay and the men were gay. He never did elaborate as to how France has managed to still exist generation after generation. The “womanizing” Frenchman was a cover to hide his gayness.
- Thai men. Yes. Every man from Thailand is a homosexual… apparently.
- The Navy.
- Glam Rock.
- ABBA’s music. But only the one’s in which Bjorn sings lead in. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Do you want to know what my homophobic father regarded as the most macho, manliest-man, hetero thing in the world?
Wrestling.
Wasn’t regarded as gay, but eating garlic and hanging around with French girls was.
The Sopranos ( best ending scene ) season 6
When Phil says “no more Butchie. No more of this” and the music starts rolling, you know the war is about to start.
What was the moment you cancelled the friendship with your best friend?
My best friend spent most weekends with my husband and I, we had lots of fun cooking, going places, etc. She would get a guy, get serious, then find some awful thing wrong with him, call him names, and had to change her number numerous times.
When I got pregnant she seemed off. I know she always wanted a family and was jealous. She gave me an IOU for an expensive breast pump and bragged about it at my shower. 5 months after, no breast pump, whatever. But not even a pair of socks to welcome my child into the world. Yest she got a mani- pedi every two weeks, like clockwork. I am the type of person who yses the same old bargain pur for years, never get manicures or pedicures, and i get my hair cut twice per year. I shop at goodwill for clothes. I summoned up the courage to tell her I felt insulted that she never acknowledged my child, not even a pair of socks. She went of the deep end and called me materialistic! And all sorts of swear words. I never spoke with her again. Been 16 years. I couldn’t wrap my head around what she said to me.
Crunchy Taco Wraps
This taco wrap gets its crunch from a tostada in the middle of delicious taco fillings; and of course wrapped up in a delicious Rhodes grilled flatbread.
Prep: 15 min | Bake: 15 min | Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 12 Rhodes Dinner Rolls, thawed
- 6 tostada shells
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon garlic
- 1 jar nacho cheese or Queso cheese dip
- 1 cup sour cream (optional)
- 2 cups shredded lettuce
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
Instructions
- Lightly spray counter or table with nonstick spray. Combine two dinner rolls and roll into an 8 inch circle. Repeat with remaining rolls. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and let rest.
- In a large skillet or griddle, over medium-high heat, brown ground beef and. Stir in taco seasoning, water and garlic. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Heat griddle to medium heat. Carefully remove plastic wrap from dough. Grill dough for 20 to 30 seconds on each side or until cooked through.
- Lay one grilled flatbread on a flat surface. Spread 1/2 cup of taco meat onto the center of the flatbread. Spread queso over one side of the tostada and place it cheese side down on the meat.
- Spread a thin layer of sour cream or more queso on top of the tostada shell. Top with lettuce, tomato and cheese.
- To fold the taco wrap, start with the bottom of the tortilla and fold the edge up over the center. Continue to work your way around, folding the tortilla over the center fillings. There will be an open spot on the top in the center.
- Repeat with all remaining flatbreads, tostadas and toppings.
every store is CLOSED in San Jose
San Jose the Bay Area’s largest city has dropped out of the top 10 largest cities in the US by population and stores are closing left and right in this city tour I am exploring downtown San Jose, and what I found was shocking, blocks after blocks of empty storefronts.
Why don’t the Western countries “peacefully evolve” China by breaking the Chinese Great Firewall?
Has it ever occurred to you that the Great Fire Wall protects you? Yes, you!
Imagine if suddenly 1.4 billion people flooded the internet with pro-China content. Okay, some are dissidents so make that one billion instead. My point is, in the Western world where “safe spaces” and “trigger warnings” abound, unleashing the mainlanders into that environment en masse would have a profoundly negative impact for Westerners. I’m not sure they (the “outside” world) could handle it. Fun to think about though.